Department for Transport

HMS Collingwood

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has allocated to merchant navy seafarer training courses for Royal Navy personnel on HMS Collingwood (a) in each year since 2010-11 and (b) to date in 2018-19.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has not allocated any funding to merchant navy seafarer training courses for Royal Navy personnel on HMS Collingwood in the years 2010 to date in 2019.

Blue Badge Scheme

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2019 to Question 231515 on Blue Badge Scheme, which disability organisations his Department has consulted with on developing the guidance on the expanded eligibility criteria for Blue Badges; and on what date he plans for people with non-physical and hidden disabilities to be able to apply for Blue Badges.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport has consulted with the following disability groups Alzheimer’s UK, Disabled Motoring, Scope, Down’s Syndrome Association, Dementia UK, National Autistic Society, Mencap, Parkinson’s UK Anxiety UK and Crohns & Colitis.The Department hopes to lay these new regulations in Parliament in April 2019, and they will specify when these changes will come into force.

Driving: Health

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many anonymous fitness to drive complaints were received in each of the last three years; and how many of those complaints were investigated.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many drivers were sent for assessment following anonymous fitness to drive complaints, and what the outcomes of those assessments were, in the most recent period for which data is available.

Jesse Norman: The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost. It would require the interrogation of all driving licence medical case records initiated in the last three years to determine whether the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) was notified anonymously about a driver’s fitness to drive.

Bus Services: Disability

Maggie Throup: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made to ensure that all bus operators are providing audio visual (AV) next stop and final destination announcements as required under the Bus Services Act 2017; and what steps his Department is taking to make bus transport more accessible for disabled people.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Bus Services Act 2017 includes powers for the Secretary of State to make Regulations requiring bus operators to provide audible and visible information on local bus services in Great Britain. The Government understands the importance of accessible on-board information in helping bus passengers to travel with confidence, and in Summer 2018 published a public consultation on proposals to require its provision on local bus services throughout Great Britain. This follows the Government’s commitment, set out in the Inclusive Transport Strategy, to invest £2 million towards ensuring that audio visual equipment is installed on buses. We continue to analyse responses to the consultation and expect to announce our next steps regarding the making of Regulations and publication of guidance later in the year.

Gatwick Airport

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Aviation Policy Framework, published by the Government in March 2013, what assessment he has made of the implications of the statement in that policy that the provision and funding of surface access infrastructure and services to airports is primarily the responsibility of the airport operator, on the specific division of responsibility for these enhancements between airport operators and central government in relation to Gatwick; and if he will a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Government published its Aviation Strategy 2050 consultation document in December 2018. Among other things, the document makes the case that airports are ‘unique’ multi-modal transport hubs, and should be recognised and treated as such.As the document sets out, the Government believes that the provision and funding of surface access infrastructure and services to airports is primarily the responsibility of the airport operator. But where there are significant non-airport public user benefits from changes and enhancements to the infrastructure and services, the Government has made clear it would consider making a funding contribution to reflect these.The Government will continue to review and update the current appraisal methodology to enable assessment of the validity of its funding policy.The Aviation Strategy 2050 consultation is due to close on 20 June 2019, and the Government encourages all stakeholders to respond to this consultation.

Wow Air: Insolvency

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what advice and support his Department is providing to consumers affected by the failure of Wow Air.

Jesse Norman: Wow Air was an airline based in Iceland operating under an Icelandic Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) and was not regulated in the UK by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). In line with previous insolvencies of non-UK regulated airlines, both the CAA and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have issued advice for affected passengers on their websites.Given the number of consumers affected, the CAA believes that there is sufficient capacity available in the market for passengers to make their own travel arrangements. The CAA has put in place comprehensive consumer advice to support this. The majority of passengers will be able to recover costs through their credit /debit card bookings, or from travel insurance.The Department recognises that this is a disruptive time for passengers, and the Government’s immediate priority is to support those affected. The Government will continue to monitor the situation and work with the CAA and industry to ensure the correct advice is easily available to those UK citizens affected by the Insolvency of Wow Air.

Railways: Disability

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department or officials have had with the Equality and Human Rights Commission on their advice that Driver Only Operation trains could represent a diminution of protection for disabled people and potentially be in breach of the Equality Act 2010.

Andrew Jones: The Department has not been in receipt of advice from the EHRC regarding Driver Only Operation and whether or not it could offer less protection for disabled people, and as such has not had any discussions with the EHRC.

Bypasses: Shipley

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to complete the Shipley Eastern Bypass.

Jesse Norman: Officials from the Department for Transport are working closely with Bradford Metropolitan District Council as it takes forward its feasibility study for a road scheme in Shipley. To take forward plans for the road scheme, the Council will need to identify its preferred option and then provide a detailed business case for the Department to review.

Trains: Disability

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which train operating companies his Department has had discussions with in the last two years on the effect on disabled passengers of driver-only operation trains.

Andrew Jones: The Department regularly has discussions with train operating companies about operational matters and their impact on passengers, including those with disabilities.

Trains: Disability

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has recently (a) sought and (b) received representations on the effect on disabled passengers of driver-only operation trains.

Andrew Jones: The Department regularly has discussions with a range of stakeholders on issues relating to ensuring disabled passengers receive the support they need to travel. This includes the Office of Rail and Road who require train operating companies to have a Disabled People’s Protection Policy in place as a licence condition and who also monitors Train Operating Companies compliance with the Disabled People’s Protection Policy obligations.

Transport for London: Borrowing

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Transport for London has the power to defer borrowing from one year to the next.

Jesse Norman: Transport for London (TfL) may defer its prudential borrowing capacity from one year to the next. TfL is required to give notice to HMG of its intention to defer borrowing before the end of the financial year.

Department for Transport: Procurement

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018 his Department received technical advice from contracted advisory firms stating that potential contracts carried significant execution risks; and on how many occasions his Department has overridden that advice.

Jesse Norman: The information requested could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Department for Transport: Written Questions

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to respond to Question 210578 on Cycling: Safety tabled on 21 January 2019 by the hon. Member for Southampton Itchen.

Jesse Norman: I apologise that due to an administrative error, this question was not answered. This has now been rectified.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many mandatory cyber security training sessions civil servants working in his Department are required to undertake.

Kelly Tolhurst: Within BEIS there is only one mandatory training course that includes elements of cyber security, the Responsible for Information course via Civil Service Learning. BEIS staff are required to undertake this on an annual basis.

Solar Power: Scotland

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has had discussions with the devolved Administrations on the development of solar energy in (a) Angus and (b) other parts of Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Ministers and officials in the Department regularly discuss a range of issues with the devolved administrations. At official level, the Department has increased its engagement with the Scottish Government. In January, the BEIS Permanent Secretary jointly chaired a Senior Civil Service away day with his Scottish Government counterpart, where amongst other issues, energy was discussed.

State Aid (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had discussions with the Leader of the House on a new date for bringing forward his Department's State Aid (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

Kelly Tolhurst: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State continues to discuss the timing of a debate on these Regulations with Cabinet colleagues, including the Leader of the House.

Research: EU Grants and Loans

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will guarantee that UK Research and Innovation will sign the terms of grants of researchers who have submitted successful bids for European Research Council advanced grants in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal before the advanced grant process has been completed.

Chris Skidmore: The Government underwrite guarantee will cover funding for all successful UK bids to Horizon 2020 that are submitted before exit, even if they are notified of success after exit. This includes the 47 successful UK bids to the ERC Advanced Grant 2018 call which form part of the €540m funding recently announced by the European Commission for cutting edge research. The UKRI portal was announced in the Horizon 2020 Technical Notice and is part of our plans to underwrite funding for UK Horizon 2020 beneficiaries in the event of ‘no deal’. In this scenario, UK beneficiaries who have registered on the UKRI portal will receive detailed information about how the guarantee will be delivered and the next steps that they need to take. If the underwrite does need to come into effect, our delivery partner, UKRI, is ready to deliver and has planned to make the process as simple and effective as possible for UK beneficiaries.

Research: EU Grants and Loans

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure continuity of funding for research projects with EU funding in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Chris Skidmore: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for North Herefordshire on 26 March 2019 to Question 233471 on the funding of research projects with EU funding.

Immunology: Training

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to increase skills in the workforce in relation to immunology.

Chris Skidmore: The second Life Sciences Sector Deal published in December 2018, sets out a package of skills commitments between government and sector partners to help deliver the priority skills needs for life sciences broadly and to make the most of future opportunities. These commitments include: a Life Sciences Skills Strategy 2030; exploring the potential for a pilot to better encourage life sciences SMEs to take on apprentices; and a pilot programme for clinical academic research partnerships supported by £10m funding from the Medical Research Council.

Business: Billing

Colin Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that large companies issue payments to contractors within reasonable times.

Kelly Tolhurst: Last year Government launched a Call for Evidence to assess what further steps and intervention may be needed to create a responsible payment culture. A full response will be published shortly and will contain a full package of policy measures.During the Spring Statement, the Government announced that it will require large company’s Audit Committees to review payments practices and report them in their annual accounts. This will elevate payment practices to Board level and increase transparency.Government is clear that unfavourable payment practices is a serious issue, particularly for smaller businesses. That is why we have a range of measures in place with the aim to address the imbalance in market power between parties, increase transparency and encourage better payment practices through culture change.The Payment Practices and Performance Reporting Requirement requires large businesses to report biannually on their payment practices and performance. Businesses must publish this information on gov.uk, providing transparency in payment practices and making payment behaviour a reputational, board room issue. To date over 13,000 reports have been submitted.The Small Business Commissioner, launched in December 2017, is committed to supporting Britain’s 5.7 million small businesses to resolve payment disputes with larger private sector businesses, helping drive a culture change in payment practices.Government continues to support the Prompt Payment Code as a best practice in payment standards. Last year, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced a new, tough and transparent compliance regime to ensure the Code is rigorously enforced. The Secretary of State also announced that he had appointed the Small Business Commissioner to the Prompt Payment Code Compliance Board.

Energy: Housing

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2019 to Question 233620 on Energy: Housing, who the technical author was of PAS 2035.

Claire Perry: The technical author for PAS 2035 is Peter Rickaby, as appointed by the independent British Standards Institute (BSI).

Energy: Housing

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many individuals gained a Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of number of people that will achieve a Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management by December 2020.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, who developed the Open College Network West Midlands Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management course.

Claire Perry: The Retrofit Academy and its partners, the Federation of Master Builders, Engie and INCA, developed the Open College Network West Midlands Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management course.The new online Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management, was developed by the Federation of Master Builders with funding from the Construction Industry Training Board, specifically to support the development of PAS 2035 (Publicly Available Standards for domestic retrofit) in response to the Each Home Counts review.The Department does not own the qualification nor hold information on industry uptake.

Energy: Housing

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that PAS 2035 energy efficiency measures are compatible with the advice that his Department receives from the Committee on Climate Change.

Claire Perry: The PAS 2035 is being developed to address systemic shortcomings in the delivery of domestic retrofit as identified in the independent Each Home Counts Review. The Department remains committed to delivering this whilst considering relevant information from other sources. The most recent Committee on Climate Change (CCC) Report UK published in February 2019 also acknowledges a persistent performance and skills gap in the retrofit industry as highlighted by the Each Home Counts Review. The Department is also taking a range of other policy action to increase deployment of energy efficiency, as the CCC have recommended. PAS 2035 aims to address these issues and encourage better quality delivery. PAS standards are refreshed every two years and at this point learnings from delivery and other sources, such as the CCC, will feed into developing the next iteration.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burkina Faso: Human Rights

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of alleged human rights violations against civilians by the security forces in Burkina Faso during their efforts to tackle Jihadist insurgents.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is concerned about alleged human rights abuses and violations by both armed terrorist groups and security forces in Burkina Faso. The protection of civilians must be at the forefront of efforts to combat insurgency and insecurity, including to build trust between local communities and the security forces.We have raised our concerns about alleged attacks by security forces on civilians directly with the President during the recent visit of the UN Security Council to Burkina Faso; urged his government to ensure its security forces comply with international standards; and called for an investigation to ensure those found responsible are held accountable. The UK is also supporting UN agencies and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide basic assistance and protection for people affected by conflict and insecurity.

Haiti: Humanitarian Aid and  Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Haiti on the humanitarian and political situation in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: We continue to monitor events in Haiti. Our Ambassador met the Haitian Foreign Minister on 18 January 2019 to discuss the situation. Our Ambassador meets Haitian leaders on her regular visits, and during March 2019 she also held discussions with the UN Secretary General's Special Representative in Haiti and a visiting International Monetary Fund Mission. The current government is in the process of change following a vote of no confidence by the Haitian Parliament on 18 March.

Haiti: British Nationals Abroad

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the safety of UK nationals travelling, working or permanently residing in Haiti.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against all but essential travel to Haiti. Few UK nationals live or work there and our Embassy is in touch with the majority of them. The UK supports the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti, which is helping the Government of Haiti further develop the Haitian National Police, strengthen Haiti's rule of law institutions and promote and protect human rights.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reasons the Government decided to remove the requirement on Sri Lanka to allow foreign judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers to investigate human rights abuses committed in that country in Resolution A/HRC/40/L.1 presented at the Human Rights Council on 21 March 2019.

Mark Field: ​On 21 March the UK introduced a new Resolution rolling over Sri Lanka's commitments on post conflict reconciliation and accountability at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The resolution was adopted by consensus, with 42 co-sponsors, including Sri Lanka. The new Resolution reaffirms Sri Lanka's commitments under Resolution 30/1, which welcomes the intention of the Government of Sri Lanka to establish a judicial mechanism to investigate allegations of violations and abuses, including the importance of independent and impartial institutions to ensure the credibility of the mechanisms of the participation of foreign judges, defence lawyers, and authorises prosecutors and investigators. The UK will continue to support and encourage the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure full implementation of the UNHRC Resolutions.

Kenya: Humanitarian Aid

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support he has offered to his Kenyan counterpart on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Turkana region of that country.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is supporting the Government of Kenya's response through the £120m Hunger Safety Net Programme, which the UK helped establish and has contributed to since 2007. This supports the most vulnerable people in Kenya, including in Turkana. Since February 2019, emergency cash payments have been made to nearly 7,000 households (around 42,000 people) in Turkana, drawing on European Union funding.

African Standby Force: International Law

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the compliance of the African Standby Force with international humanitarian law.

Harriett Baldwin: The African Union, through its Africa Standby Force Training Directive, sets the standards expected of the Force in respect to international humanitarian law, human rights, preventing sexual exploitation and abuse, and conduct and discipline. The British Government has not made any recent assessment of the Force’s compliance with international humanitarian law, but has provided technical advice to the African Union in support of these issues as it develops its Peace Support Operations doctrine.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the escalation of conflict in (a) al-Dhal’e and (b) Hajjah governorates in the Yemen.

Mark Field: We are aware of the escalation of conflict in al-Dhal’e and Hajjah. All parties must engage constructively and in good faith to overcome obstacles and find a political solution to end the conflict. A nationwide ceasefire will only have an effect on the ground if it is underpinned by a political settlement between the conflict parties.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential redeployment of military personnel from Hodeidah city and the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Salif, Yemen.

Mark Field: The Agreement between the Government of Yemen and the Houthis states clearly that a mutual redeployment of forces, which includes Houthi militia, shall be carried out from the city of Hodeidah and the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa to agreed upon locations outside the city and ports within a maximum of 21 days after the ceasefire entered into force in December. The Agreement also states that security of the city of Hodeidah and the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa shall be the responsibility of local security forces in accordance with Yemeni law. The Government of Yemen has agreed to the UN redeployment plan but, at this stage, the Houthis have not agreed to the UN plan. It is important that neither side exploits the redeployment process and critical that we all continue to support the UN Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths. There can be no return to major military operations in Hodeidah: any renewed military push would be catastrophic for Yemen, potentially pushing millions towards famine.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Civilian Impact Monitoring Report 2018, published on 7 March 2019, that in 2018 (a) more civilians in Yemen where killed in their homes than any other civilian structure and (b) 53 per cent of incidents of armed violence in Yemen affected women and girls.

Mark Field: We are acutely aware that during armed conflict, civilians often pay a heavy price. Addressing the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is a priority for the Government. We are at the forefront of the international response in Yemen as the fifth largest donor to the humanitarian situation and as the pen-holder on the UN Security Council.We also acknowledge that the conflict has had a disproportionate impact on women and girls. The incidence of gender based violence has risen by 70% since the start of the conflict. Women and girls bear the disproportionate brunt of obstacles caused by protracted displacement, including lack of access to services and civil documentation. An estimated 76 per cent of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and IDP returnees are women and children.Through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), we support UN Women initiatives, such as the Yemeni Women Pact, to increase women's participation in and leadership of official peace processes.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions has he had with his counterparts in (a) Yemen, (b) Saudi Arabia and (c) the United Arab Emirates on their commitment to the Stockholm agreement and the redeployment of military personnel.

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps is he taking to ensure all parties to the conflict in Yemen abide by the Stockholm agreement including the redeployment of military personnel.

Mark Field: We have had regular contact with our counterparts in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with regards to implementation of the Stockholm Agreement and the redeployment of military personnel. While the Government of Yemen has agreed to the UN redeployment plan, the Houthis have not yet agreed to the UN plan. It is important that neither side exploits the redeployment process. We urge all parties to co-operate with the Special Envoy and act in good faith to implement the agreements made in Stockholm, including the redeployment of military personnel. All parties have reaffirmed their support for the peace process.

Colombia: Human Rights

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish a response to EDM 2232 on Peace and Protection of Defenders in Colombia.

Sir Alan Duncan: I share the Hon Member's concern regarding the implementation of the Peace Accords between the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The UK continues to support the peace process, contributing over £40 million through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund since 2015 to projects that are bringing sustainable peace to the country. We have expressed concern to the Colombian Government over delays to the transitional justice system, which is a critical part of the peace process.I share also the Hon Member's concern about the ongoing killings and threats by armed criminal groups in Colombia, a subject we raised in January at the UN Security Council in New York and in March at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. At the Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights in May 2018, Colombia accepted the UK's recommendations to improve protection of human rights defenders. The UN Verification Mission's mandate acknowledges the importance of human rights, and the mission cooperates closely with the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights.The Human Rights programmes led and funded by the British Embassy in Bogotá make a real difference to the lives of many human rights defenders, social leaders and, in particular, victims of sexual violence in conflict. We continue to work with civil society groups in the UK and Colombia to bring individual cases to the attention of the Colombian authorities, including the two specific cases cited in Early Day Motion 2232.We condemned the bombing of a police academy in Bogotá on 17 January by the National Liberation Army (ELN), which claimed 20 innocent lives and caused the breakdown of peace talks. We urge an end to violence to allow productive negotiations to resume.

UK Relations With EU

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on UK representation to the EU after the UK leaves the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​As the Foreign Secretary set out during Foreign and Commonwealth Office Orals on 22 January, the number of staff in our UK Representation to the European Union has grown from over 120 in 2016 to over 180 in early 2019, and includes representatives from a wide range of Whitehall Departments and many smaller agencies. We will keep staffing under regular review to ensure it is appropriate to deliver government objectives.

Department for Exiting the European Union

British Nationals Abroad: Children

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps his Department is taking to ensure UK children being cared for by relatives in another EU member state retain their residency rights after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: From the very beginning, the Prime Minister has made citizens’ rights our priority for negotiations. The draft Withdrawal Agreement will provide nearly one million UK nationals in the EU with the certainty they need about their rights going forward.Under the Withdrawal Agreement, all UK nationals lawfully residing in a Member State at the end of the implementation period will be able to stay, this includes British children being cared for by relatives. It also allows close family members to join after the end of the implementation period on the basis of current EU rules, where the relationship existed before the end of the implementation period.Our policy paper, published on 6 December, confirms that EU citizens resident in the UK by exit day will be able to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to secure their status in a no deal scenario. We are urging all Member States to reciprocate our offer in full and to communicate their detailed plans to UK nationals as soon as possible.

Brexit: Northern Ireland

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what progress the Government is making on negotiating alternatives to the Northern Ireland backstop in the draft EU Withdrawal Agreement.

Mr Robin Walker: The European Council has been clear that the Withdrawal Agreement cannot be reopened.However, in the light of engagement with the working group of which colleagues were a part, the Prime Minister has secured a legally binding commitment that both sides will aim to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements by December 2020.A specific negotiating track will be established to take that work forward at pace in the next phase. The Government will make available £20m of funding to support the development, testing or piloting of ideas that emerge, where the Government believes it would be helpful.

Department of Health and Social Care

Hearing Impairment: Young People

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has conducted research on the causes of hearing loss in people aged under 30.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including hearing loss. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. Information on individual projects funded by the NIHR can be found at the following link: https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/programmes/ NIHR funding for research projects into hearing loss was £8.3 million over the last five years. NIHR funded infrastructure supports research into hearing loss. Three NIHR Biomedical Research Centres have research themes on hearing health, conducting research into the identification, understanding, prevention, and interventions to alleviate hearing loss across the life course. NIHR funded infrastructure is supporting studies into identification and treatment of hearing loss in babies and children. It is not possible to further disaggregate this spend or support by age group.

Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the statement in the NHS Long Term Plan that four-week waiting times for adult and older adult community mental health teams including for eating disorders will be tested with selected local areas, what the timetable is for those targets to be introduced; and whether funding will be allocated to areas to support these tests.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The NHS Long Term Plan commits to “test four-week waiting times for adult and older adult community mental health teams, with selected local areas”. The ‘Clinically-led Review of NHS Access Standards’ Interim Report, published in March 2019, states that NHS England will test four-week waiting times for adult and older adult community mental health teams with selected local areas. As part of this work, the report states that NHS England will “consider the interfaces with specialist community mental health services, particularly where there is an existing evidence base for rapid direct access, such as adult eating disorder services, or early intervention in psychosis services, for which there is already a national access and waiting time standard in place.” The interim report sets out the initial proposals for testing changes to access standards in mental health services, cancer care, elective care and urgent and emergency care. The proposals will be field tested at a selection of pilot sites across England, before wider implementation. The information gathered through field testing and engagement will inform final recommendations from this Review, and ahead of full implementation beginning spring 2020.

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the five per cent increase in patient charges for NHS dental treatment on the affordability of that treatment for patients.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department has undertaken equality analysis and impact assessment setting out the potential impacts on patients, which can be accessed at the following link: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/522/made There have been no changes to exemption arrangements. Those who qualify for free dental treatment will remain entirely exempt from charges, which includes those under the age of 18, those under the age of 19 and in full-time education, pregnant women and or those that have had a baby in the previous 12 months, and those on qualifying benefits will not be impacted by these changes. For those adults who do not qualify for exemption from dental charges, but who are on low incomes, are eligible to receive, full or partial help for health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme.

NHS: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are working on the NHS.UK programme are (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people working on the NHS e-Referral Service are (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people working on the IT Infrastructure Sourcing Programme are (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is shown in the following table: ProgrammeContingent labourSupplier resource1NHS Digital/NHS Business Services Authority employees2Civil servantsNHS.UK programme9n/a1250NHS e-Referral Service23390IT Infrastructure Sourcing programme10n/a190Source: NHS Digital and NHS Business Services Authority Notes:1Contracts with suppliers are for the delivery of a service rather than resources. The primary supplier for the NHS e-Referral Service provides three staff who work on site. 2NHS Digital and NHS Business Services Authority employees are public servants employed on NHS terms and conditions. The figures include those staff employed on a permanent or fixed term basis within NHS Digital and the NHS Business Services Authority. The figures for the NHS.UK programme and the NHS e-Referral Service represent full time equivalents assigned to the programme or service in March 2019, to the nearest whole number. The IT Infrastructure Sourcing programme is being delivered by the NHS Business Services Authority. The figures for this programme represent resources dedicated to the delivery of the programme and do not include NHS Business Services Authority staff who supplement delivery with specific skills. Figures for continent labour were correct at the end of March 2019. From 1 April 2019, contingent labour decreases to four, as a result of the programme moving out of the procurement/design phase and into delivery.

Eating Disorders

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with eating disorders clinicians on how to improve (a) treatment wait times, (b) inpatient care, (c) outpatient care and (d) post-treatment support.

Jackie Doyle-Price: It is the role of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to provide evidence and guidance to the National Health Service on healthcare. NICE has published guidance on the recognition and treatment of people with eating disorders. NICE guidelines are based on the best available evidence, with recommendations put together by clinical experts, people using services, carers and the public. The ‘eating disorders: recognition and treatment guideline’ (NG 69) was published in 2004 and revised in 2017. It includes information on inpatient and day patient treatment, and monitoring people not in treatment. It is available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG69 For waiting times, NHS England commissioned the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH) to develop the ‘Access and Waiting Time Standard for Children and Young People with an Eating Disorder’ Commissioning Guide. The guidance sets out how commissioners and providers should improve treatment pathways to meet the access and waiting time standard. To inform the work of the team that drafted the guide, the NCCMH set up an Expert Reference Group made up of professionals and clinicians from specialist and technical areas. The guide therefore builds on views from over 700 professionals and 1,700 children and young people. The guidance was published in 2015 and is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/cyp-eating-disorders-access-waiting-time-standard-comm-guid.pdf The ‘Clinically-led Review of NHS Access Standards’ Interim Report, published in March, states that NHS England will test four-week waiting times for adult and older adult community mental health and it is expected that eating disorders will be included in this. The proposals will be field tested at a selection of pilot sites across England, before wider implementation. Alongside the field testing, engagement will take place across the health service before making recommendations to the Government and full implementation beginning spring 2020.

Pregnancy Tests

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure the (a) impartiality and (b) independence of panels members on the Commission on Human Medicines’ independent scientific review of the publication by Professor Carl Heneghan into hormone pregnancy tests.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the publication of the findings of the Commission on Human Medicines’ independent scientific review of the publication by Professor Carl Heneghan into hormone pregnancy tests.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Since publication of the report of the Commission on Human Medicines Expert Working Group on Hormone Pregnancy Tests (HPTs) the Government has committed to review any important new evidence that arises. In response to publication of the study by Heneghan et al. the Commission on Human Medicines convened an Expert Group to advise on the suitability and robustness of the methodology (including the selection and application of the data quality score) and any clinical implications. To ensure impartiality none of the members of the Group was involved in the previous review by the Expert Working Group on HPTs. A specific conflict of interest policy was developed and all participants were required to complete and sign a declaration of interests form. Participants were asked to declare personal or non-personal interests in the companies who marketed HPTs or whose predecessors marketed them, current or previous involvement in any studies or reviews on HPTs, the expression in public of a strong opinion about HPTs or any of the companies that produced them, and direct or indirect involvement with, or peer review of, the publication by Heneghan et al. The conflict of interest policy and declarations of participants will be made public in due course. For complete transparency the meeting was observed by the Chair of the Association for Children Damaged by HPTs, an advocate for those affected by thalidomide, a Lay representative and a representative from the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review. In parallel, the European Medicines Agency is conducting an independent review of the publication by Heneghan et al. Both reviews are ongoing, and we expect the conclusions to be made public within a month of their completion, likely to be May 2019.

Epilepsy: Cannabis

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of effectiveness of medical cannabis in the treatment of epilepsy.

Caroline Dinenage: The evidence base for cannabis-based products for medicinal use is still developing. However, the changes to the law are designed to encourage further research and the National Institute for Health Research has issued a call for research proposals to rapidly advance knowledge in this area. Interim clinical guidance, commissioned by NHS England and issued by the Royal College of Physicians, British Paediatric Neurology Association and Association of British Neurologists on certain severe epilepsies in children and adults, is based on the best available international clinical evidence and reflects clinical guidance that has been published in other jurisdictions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has been commissioned to develop guidelines on the prescribing of cannabis-based medicinal products by October 2019. This guidance will cover severe treatment-resistant epilepsy, and will update and replace the interim guidance.

Education: Asthma

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the study published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology entitled Asthma and Academic Performance in Urban Children, what assessment he has made of the correlation between asthma and academic performance in children; and what steps he is taking to improve asthma control among children living in urban areas.

Caroline Dinenage: No assessment has been made of the correlation between asthma and academic performance in children.

Vaccination

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to respond to the consultation on the cost effectiveness methodology for vaccination programmes.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department will publish its response to the Committee on Cost Effectiveness Methodology for Immunisation Programmes and Procurement (CEMIPP) report, alongside a summary of consultation responses, in the coming weeks. It is important to ensure that rules for immunisation are fair, transparent and justifiable.

Vaccination

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to tackle antimicrobial resistance using vaccines.

Jackie Doyle-Price: One of the nine ambitions for change set out in ‘Contained and controlled: The UK’s 20-year vision for antimicrobial resistance’, published on 24 January 2019, is to minimise infections in humans and animals. Optimising the use of effective vaccines will be critical in achieving this ambition. The United Kingdom’s five-year national action plan for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) includes commitments to stimulate more research into vaccines and promote broader access to vaccines for humans and animals. A new Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Healthcare Associated Infections Working Group, set up to review and provide preliminary advice to JCVI on the potential use of appropriate vaccines in the UK, will provide advice on the development of better tools to estimate and quantify the potential impact of vaccines in reducing the long-term burden of AMR. In addition, the UK supports the delivery and uptake of vaccines overseas through UK Aid programmes, including the Global AMR Innovation Fund, the Fleming Fund and the UK Vaccine Network.

Health: Children

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to better promote awareness and understanding of healthy behaviour including (a) reducing smoking during pregnancy and (b) promoting breastfeeding beyond the first weeks after birth which are integral to improving the health of children in early years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Public Health England, Health Education England and the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training published a range of online resources to support midwifery teams to have meaningful conversations with pregnant women about quitting smoking. These can be viewed at the following link: https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/smoking-in-pregnancy/ The Start4Life marketing programme helps parents-to-be and families with babies and children under five to adopt healthy behaviours and with the aim of ensuring that children are given the best start in life. This includes information on quitting smoking and support during breastfeeding. The Start4Life website can be viewed at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/signups/new

Health Education

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has in the forthcoming Spending Review to (a) support (b) allocate funding and (c) expand early intervention services, including, (i) health visiting and to (ii) health promotion services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government’s vision ‘Prevention is better than cure’ confirmed the Government’s view that our early experiences shape lifelong health with action need from before pregnancy and throughout childhood. The Government has confirmed, through the NHS Long Term Plan, that it will consider whether there is a stronger role for the National Health Service in commissioning health visitor services. The future of budgets outside of the NHS England resource settlement will be confirmed later this year at Spending Review 2019.

Health: Children and Young People

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to deliver a health in all policies approach to decision-making throughout Government that affect children’s health; and whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential benefits of developing a cross-Government Children and Young People’s Health Strategy to achieve that approach.

Jackie Doyle-Price: All children and young people deserve the best start in life and cross-Government action is essential to achieve this. The Government is already implementing a wide range of policies across departments to that end including an ambitious childhood obesity plan, the transformation of children’s mental health and maternity services. In addition, work will reduce the vulnerabilities that children can face from parental conflict, alcohol dependent parents and poor perinatal mental health. The Government is also in the process of developing a Prevention Green Paper due for publication later this year.

NHS: Crimes of Violence

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2018 to Question 131162 on Sexual Offences: Essex, what progress his Department and NHS England have made on the establishment of a new data collection for violence against and abuse of NHS staff; and what consultation has been carried out with NHS trade unions as part of that process.

Stephen Hammond: A proposed new data collection for violence against and abuse of National Health Service staff will be implemented as part of the work led by NHS Improvement and NHS England to deliver the NHS Violence Reduction Strategy.The Strategy which was commissioned by the Department and announced by my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on 31 October 2018 has been developed in partnership with employers, staff and unions across the NHS.It has been scrutinised by the NHS Social Partnership Forum which is chaired by Ministers and brings together NHS Employers, NHS Trade Unions, NHS England, Health Education England, NHS Improvement and the Department to discuss and debate the development and implementation of the workforce implications of policy.Plans for the new data collection are expected to be included in the interim Workforce Implementation Plan due to be published in April utilising some of the “up to £2m per annum” announced in the NHS Long Term Plan to tackle violence against and bullying of staff.

Skin Cancer: Sunbeds

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of the 2017 World Health Organization report on sunbeds which found that more than 10,000 melanoma cases each year in the United States of America, Europe and Australia are attributed to sunbed use; and if will make an assessment of the potential merits of making it compulsory for all local authorities to have regulated licensing schemes for sunbed premises.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Public Health England (PHE) contributed to the revision of the World Health Organization report, ‘Artificial tanning devices: public health interventions to manage sunbeds’, the thrust of which is in line with PHE advice and the recommendations of the 13th report of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/comare-13th-report The Sunbeds Regulation Act 2010 was implemented to prohibit under-18s from using sunbeds based on the COMARE recommendations. The Department and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have published guidance to support the enforcement of the regulations by local authorities and safe use of sunbeds at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sunbeds-regulations-act-2010-guidance-on-the-implementation-of-the-sunbeds-regulation-act-2010 http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg209.pdf PHE is currently refreshing its guidance on the use of sunbeds. PHE’s current advice is available to view at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sunbeds-safety-advice The Department is considering whether current measures are effective for protecting sunbed users.

Skin Cancer: Health Education

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including in the Green Paper on prevention, a skin cancer awareness porgramme.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We are considering a number of policy options for the prevention Green Paper and will be mindful of the suggestion of a skin cancer awareness campaign.

Cancer: Research

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of leaving the European Research Area on access to EU framework programme funding for UK-based cancer research projects.

Caroline Dinenage: European Union Framework Programme funding for United Kingdom-based projects, including those on cancer research, will not necessarily be linked to the UK’s involvement in the European Research Area. If we leave with the Withdrawal Agreement, UK participants will still be eligible for funding from Horizon 2020, including for cancer research projects. As a responsible Government, we are continuing to prepare for a ‘no deal’ scenario. In a ‘no deal’ scenario, the Government has committed to fund all successful UK bids to Horizon 2020 submitted before the end of 2020 and for the lifetime of projects. This guarantee will enable UK researchers and businesses to continue to access funding required to participate in Horizon 2020 and will support ongoing world-leading collaboration, including in cancer research. Looking beyond Horizon 2020, in any scenario we want to continue to back the UK research and innovation community by supporting the provision of opportunities for world-class collaborative research. We are continuing to seek a relationship with the European Union on science and innovation including the option of future association to excellence-based EU research and innovation funding programmes. National Institute for Health Research cancer research expenditure has risen from £101 million in 2010/11 to £136 million in 2017/18. This constitutes the largest investment in a disease area. A large proportion of this funding comprises support for the delivery of Cancer Research UK-funded research in the National Health Service.

Dyspraxia

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect on the (a) time taken to receive and (b) quality of assessments for dyspraxia of CCGs opting not to fund dyspraxia assessments with Dyspraxia UK; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: We have made no such assessment. Commissioning decisions are made locally by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). CCGs are best placed to do this as they are clinically led organisations that have both the local knowledge and local accountability to make commissioning decisions in the best interests of their populations.

Barts Health NHS Trust: Breast Cancer

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of symptomatic breast appointments in Barts Health NHS Trust in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The following table provides a summary of referrals to Barts Health NHS trust for suspected breast cancer under the national two week wait operational standards, both for urgent general practitioner suspected cancer and for the symptomatic breast two week standard. Symptomatic Breast Referrals2013-142014-152015-162016-172017-182018-19 (Year to Date)Barts Health2,9202,7633,3182,7361,7062,247

Breast Cancer: Screening

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of women were invited for screening at Central and East London Breast Screening Service within three years of their previous appointment in each month in the last three years.

Caroline Dinenage: This information is not held centrally in the format requested.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many screening sessions have been delivered by Central and East London Breast Screening Service (a) in Homerton Hospital and (b) at the Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health and Wellbeing Centre in each week in the last year.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in which months in the last two years Central and East London Breast Screening Service has met its target of less than 2 per cent of screenings being subject to technical recalls.

Caroline Dinenage: This information is not held centrally in the format requested.

Health Services: British Nationals Abroad

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the affordability of travel insurance for (a) disabled people and (b) people with existing conditions in the event that UK citizens are no longer eligible for the European Health Insurance Card after the UK leaves the EU.

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received from charities on travel insurance for disabled people and people with existing conditions in the event that the arrangements in place for the European Health Insurance Card come to an end after the UK leaves the EU.

Stephen Hammond: On 19 March 2019, I laid a written ministerial statement (HCWS1429) on the Department’s plans for the continuity of reciprocal healthcare arrangements in the event we exit the European Union without a deal. This statement includes specific guidance on European Health Insurance Cards (EHICs). The Department recognises that people with some pre-existing conditions rely on the EHIC to be able to travel. In a no deal scenario, these may no longer be valid in some EU Member States, and in European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states for those visitors not in scope of the EFTA Citizens’ Rights Agreements and travelling after exit day. The United Kingdom Government has proposed to EU Member States and EFTA states that we should maintain the existing healthcare arrangements, including an EHIC type arrangement with similar benefits, in a no deal scenario until 31 December 2020, with the aim of minimising disruption to UK nationals and EU and EFTA state citizens’ healthcare provision. However, it is not possible for the UK Government to guarantee access unilaterally to healthcare abroad, as this depends on reciprocity from Member States. The Department has advised UK nationals living in or travelling to EU Member States to check up to date information on GOV.UK and NHS.UK and ensure they have taken the necessary steps to prepare. This information is available on the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/overseas-living-in-guides https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/healthcare-when-travelling-abroad/travelling-in-the-european-economic-area-eea-and-switzerland/ It is already the case that we advise people to obtain comprehensive travel insurance when working, studying or travelling to the EU and the rest of the world. This will remain our advice in all circumstances. When travelling abroad, individuals are responsible for ensuring their travel insurance covers their healthcare needs. The Department has engaged closely with partners such as the Association of British Travel Insurers and organisations representing people with long-term health conditions, such as Kidney Care UK and the British Lung Foundation, to understand the impacts on some patient groups with long-term conditions, as well as to help develop the Healthcare (European Economic Area and Switzerland Arrangements) Act 2019. This legislation will provide us with the power to fund and implement comprehensive reciprocal healthcare arrangements after we leave the EU.

Health and Care Professions Council: Fees and Charges

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a response to Early Day Motion 2069 entitled Registration Fees at the Health and Care Professions Council.

Stephen Hammond: The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) is independent from Government and is funded by registrants’ fees on a cost recovery basis. Fees are set at an appropriate level to cover the cost of regulation. The Government has no plans at this time to publish any further response relating to the HCPC’s proposed fee rise.

Meningitis

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the final report of the Meningitis Working Party will be published.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The report by the Meningococcal Working Group was published on 2 July 2018. We also made a commitment to publish the responses from a number of organisations who had been asked to confirm what action they will take in response to the recommendations by the Meningococcal Working Group. We have collated the responses, and in February 2019 circulated a draft copy for organisations to update their responses, if required. We will publish a summary of responses in due course.

Epilepsy: Drugs

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will confirm that Serious Medicines Shortage Protocols will not be appropriate for epilepsy treatments and that will be included in published guidance on Serious Medicines Protocols.

Caroline Dinenage: A Serious Shortage Protocol is an additional tool to manage and mitigate medication shortages and may be used in the exceptional and rare situation when other measures have been exhausted or are likely to be ineffective. As the explanatory memorandum of the amending Statutory Instrument acknowledges, Protocols for therapeutic or generic equivalents will not be suitable for all medicines and patients. For example, those types of protocols would not be suitable for treatments for epilepsy or treatments requiring biological products where the medicines that are prescribed need to be prescribed by brand for clinical reasons. In these cases, patients would always be referred back to the prescriber for any decision about their treatment before any therapeutic or generic alternative is supplied.

Ophthalmology

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment on the effect of the changes to the NHS tariff for combined cataract and glaucoma surgery on (a) hospital costs and (b) efficiency in the field of ophthalmology.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the changes to the NHS tariff for 2019-2020 in the field of ophthalmology on patient access to glaucoma treatment.

Caroline Dinenage: There has been a significant change in clinical practice in ophthalmology since the last tariff prices were set and reference costs used to calculate prices were collected, with a shift to performing Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) instead of open glaucoma procedures which are frequently combined with cataract extraction. MIGS are significantly cheaper, and both procedures cannot be differentiated using operating procedure code supplement codes. Open/tube glaucoma procedures are nearly always done with a graft of sclera or tutoplast, which triggers multiple procedures so will receive significantly more under the 2019/20 prices than MIGS procedures, which is appropriate. NHS Improvement has carried out an impact assessment which shows that the national tariff changes should not affect patient access to glaucoma treatment.

Social Services

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's timescale is for the publication of the social care Green Paper.

Caroline Dinenage: The Green Paper remains a priority for this Government and we will publish at the earliest opportunity.

NHS: Drugs

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when guidance will be made available to pharmacists on the Serious Medicines Shortage Protocols.

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any training is planned on the new system for supply of prescription medicines under Serious Medicines Shortage Protocol.

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the first Serious Medicines Shortage Protocol will be ready; and where that protocol will be published.

Caroline Dinenage: Serious Shortage Protocols are an additional tool to manage and mitigate medication shortages and may be used in the exceptional and rare situation when other measures have been exhausted or are likely to be ineffective. Operational guidance is still being developed with stakeholders, including where any protocol(s) would be published. The use of a Serious Shortage Protocol has not, to date, been required.

Preventive Medicine: Young People

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the prevention Green Paper will include evidence-based parenting support as a key prevention and early intervention solution for supporting young people and their families.

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to parenting support to prevent and treat conduct disorders and behavioural issues.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Prevention Vision confirmed there is a strong case for acting early with good pre-conception care, fit and healthy parents and taking a ‘whole family’ approach when responding to problems. Becoming a parent is an important period and opportunity to offer evidence-based advice and support whilst creating opportunities to support a child’s very early development. The Prevention Green Paper will set out our thoughts in more detail. Through our new workforce of Mental Health Support Teams, staffed by a new role of Education Mental Health Practitioners, we are providing new capacity for addressing the needs of children and young people with mild to moderate mental health issues. The first cohort of trainees started in early 2019 and the first wave of trailblazer areas will become operational during 2019. The Support Teams will provide evidence-based interventions, which may include family-based behaviour change interventions, which can be successfully delivered to help reduce child conduct problems.

Health Services: Learning Disability

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Department has taken to assess the number of (a) minor and (b) severe injuries sustained at Assessment and Treatment Units in England in each of the last five years.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients at Assessment and Treatment Units in England are placed more than 100 miles from their referring hospital or GP practice.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been paid from the public purse to private companies for the management of Assessment and Treatment Units in England in each financial year since 2011.

Caroline Dinenage: Data on the number of injuries sustained at assessment and treatment units in England is not collected centrally. 485 people out of 2,295 mental health inpatients with learning disability or autism, recorded in February 2019, were 100 kilometres or more from home. The following table shows learning disability and autism spectrum disorder specialised commissioning spend for 2017/18 in the independent sector.  2017-18 £ millionLearning disabilities80.0autism28.7Total learning disability and autism108.7Prior to 2017-18, data was not collected centrally.

Sexual Offences: Victims

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of NHS commissioners in meeting their responsibilities to victims and survivors of sexual violence.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department has made no assessment of the effectiveness of National Health Service commissioners in meeting their responsibilities to victims and survivors of sexual violence. Following publication of the Strategic Direction for Sexual Assault and Abuse Services in April 2018, and the NHS Long Term Plan in January 2019, a letter was sent to commissioners on 6 February by myself, and Kate Davies, Director of Health and Justice, Armed Forces and Sexual Assault Services Commissioning at NHS England. The letter asks commissioners to look at how they are meeting their responsibilities for victims and survivors of sexual assault and sets out the importance of commissioning better services that support victims in an informed and consistent way. A copy of the letter can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/services-for-victims-of-sexual-assault-letter-to-nhs-commissioners

Sexual Offences: Victims

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS referrals there have been by gender to non-statutory therapeutic mental health services and rape crisis centres after a disclosure of sexual violence in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not held centrally.

Department of Health and Social Care: Ministerial Powers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many ministerial directions have been issued by Ministers in his Department in each of the last eight years.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, including the Governance Statements for 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 show that no ministerial directions were issued to the Department.

Wales Office

Stronger Towns Fund: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April to Question 237625, how many occasions he has met with Cabinet colleagues to discuss the Stronger Towns Fund; and what the outcome was of each such meeting.

Alun Cairns: I have a met with Cabinet colleagues on a number of occasions to discuss the Stronger Towns Fund. Ministers and officials will continue to work together to ensure that the fund delivers for communities across Wales and the UK.

Department for Education

Schools: Finance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the savings accrued to the public purse identified by School Resource Management Advisers in relation to (a) the sale of unused buildings and land, (b) catering, (c) letting of facilities, (d) transport costs, (e) energy costs, (f) premises costs, (g) exam fees, (h) marketing, (i) recruitment and (j) IT systems and computers.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 28 March 2019



In 2017-18, School Resource Management Advisers (SRMAs) identified the potential for over £35 million savings and revenue generation opportunities as part of a pilot programme. The Department is now working with schools and academy trusts to compile data on the areas where SRMAs’ recommendations have been realised and actual savings made. This work will support schools to better manage their resources and deliver excellent education.Schools spend more than £10 billion per year on non-staffing costs and the Department is supporting schools to get the best value for all their purchases through deals on insurance, recruitment, agency supply and many other categories. For example, advertising vacancies alone costs schools in the region of £75 million per year, and our Teaching Vacancies site provides free listings for all schools in England.

Schools: Birkenhead

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which schools in Birkenhead have expanded their intake without undertaking a public consultation in the last five years.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 01 April 2019



The information requested is not held centrally. The Department does not collect information relating to the published admissions numbers of individual schools.All school admission authorities must set a published admissions number (PAN). This is the number of pupils the school will admit at their normal point of entry, for example, to the reception year of a primary school.Admission authorities are not required to consult before increasing their PAN. They must, however, notify the local authority of any intention to do so.

Department for Education: Public Expenditure

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2019 to Question 229154 on Department for Education: Public Expenditure, how much of the (a) £23 billion his Department has allocated to the school estate and (b) £7 billion his Department has allocated for the creation of new school places between 2015 and 2021 will be spent in the fiscal year (i) 2016-17, (ii) 2017-18, (iii) 2018-19, (iv) 2019-20 and (v) 2020-21.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 01 April 2019



The Department’s Supplementary Estimate publishes budgets for school's capital programmes annually, which are set out as below. 2016-172017-182018-19£5.170 million£4.393 million£4.663 million Detailed spending plans for future financial years will be set out in future Main and Supplementary Estimates. The sources for this information are available here: https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Education/Estimates-Memoranda/Department-for-Education-Supplementary-Estimate-2017-18-Memorandum.pdf andhttps://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Education/Department-for-Education-Main-Estimate-2018-19-Memorandum%20.pdf. The Department has committed £7 billion to create new school places between 2015 and 2021. This includes spend in 2015-16 as well as the years specified in the question. The Department’s main capital funding for new school places is through the annual basic need allocations. The payment schedule for these allocations can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations. The Department has also committed £365 million between 2018 and 2021 to create new places and improve facilities for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. The payment schedule can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-provision-capital-funding-for-pupils-with-ehc-plans. Additional school places are also created through other capital programmes, including the Condition Improvement Fund, to which a link can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-improvement-fund.

Special Educational Needs: Teachers

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the findings of the National Deaf Children’s Society’s press release of 18 March 2019, A system in crisis: the daily battle for specialist teachers, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of specialist teachers.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 01 April 2019



The data collected via the School Workforce Census shows that full time equivalent teacher numbers in special schools have risen by 2,900 between 2010 and 2017 (19%). However, the Department recognises that some schools, including special schools, are facing challenges in recruiting and retaining teachers. That is why in January 2019 the Department launched the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, which outlines four key areas for reform and investment. These include creating the right climate for leaders to establish supportive school cultures, transforming support for early career teachers, building a career structure that remains attractive to teachers as their careers and lives develop, and making it easier for people to become teachers.Designed collaboratively with the sector, the centrepiece of the strategy is the Early Career Framework (ECF), which will underpin a fully funded, two year package of structured support for all early career teachers. The ECF draws on the best available research evidence and has been designed around the most effective forms of professional development for improving teacher retention for early career teachers. The strategy can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-recruitment-and-retention-strategy.For the 2019/20 recruitment cycle, the Department is taking forward the successful recruitment strategies from the last cycle, including boosting our marketing and support to applicants, providing generous bursaries for priority subjects, making it easier to take the skills test, and working with providers to ensure we are accepting every applicant who is ready to train to teach.The Department is also addressing the issues that teachers cite as reasons for leaving the profession, by continuing to work extensively with unions, teachers and Ofsted to challenge and remove unhelpful practices that create unnecessary workload.

Apprentices

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the conclusions of the National Audit Office’s report of 6 March 2019, The apprenticeships programme, HC 1987 2017-19, what plans he has to address concerns that funding for that programme may be insufficient should there be an increase in demand for apprenticeships.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Adoption and Foster Care: EU Nationals

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on EU nationals applying to (a) adopt or (b) foster vulnerable children.

Nadhim Zahawi: There are no changes affecting those who can adopt or foster since these are based on residence rather than nationality. All EU nationals are encouraged to apply to the European Union Settlement Scheme to allow them to remain in the country and indeed they are encouraged to adopt or foster vulnerable children to provide a safe home.

Sex and Relationship Education

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that testing, treatment and prevention will be covered thoroughly enough in Relationships and Sex Education to reduce Sexually Transmitted Infections in young people; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Pupils need to know how to protect their own mental and physical health, they need to know what activities, behaviours and circumstances can risk these and they need to know when and how to seek help both for themselves and others. At secondary school, by introducing health education alongside relationships and sex education (RSE), the Government will ensure that pupils are taught age appropriate knowledge about sexual health. In health education, this includes the benefits of regular self-examination and screening, and the facts and science relating to immunisation and vaccination. This is complemented by content in RSE about how sexually transmitted infections are passed on and treated, how risks can be reduced, the importance of and facts about testing and prevalence and the impact sexually transmitted infections can have on those who contract them. This will be set in the context of how to get further advice, including how and where to access advice and treatment. The Department is committed to supporting schools to deliver high quality teaching of relationships education, RSE and health education. A budget of £6 million has been allocated in 2019/20 financial year to develop a programme of support for schools. Further funding beyond the next financial year is a matter of the forthcoming Spending Review.

Schools: Admissions

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Table 2e, Schools Pupils and Their Characteristics, National Tables, how many primary schools had 801 or more pupils on their roll in each (a) region and (b) local authority in England in January 2018.

Nick Gibb: There were 129 stated-funded primary schools with 801 or more pupils in England in January 2018. The tables below provide this by region and local authority.These figures are derived from the data published at the annual ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistical release at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2018.Data for each school is available in the underlying data, contained in the file named ‘Schools_Pupils_and_their_Characteristics _2018_Schools_Pupils_UD’.A large school does not mean larger class sizes. Despite an increase of over half a million children attending state-funded primary schools in England between 2010 and 2018, the average primary class size has remained stable. This Government is undertaking the biggest expansion in school places in two generations, and recent statistics show we are well on track to create one million places nationwide in the decade to 2020, reversing a reduction of 100,000 school places between 2004 and 2010. Table 1 – State-funded primary schools with 801 or more pupils in January 2018, by regionNorth East1North West4Yorkshire and the Humber2East Midlands4West Midlands13East of England12London81South East10South West2England129 Source: School census  Table 2 - State-funded primary schools with 801 or more pupils in January 2018, by local authorityBarking and Dagenham11Kingston upon Thames1Barnet1Kirklees1Bedford1Lambeth3Bexley1Leicester1Birmingham8Liverpool1Bournemouth1Luton6Bradford1Milton Keynes1Brent5Newham11Brighton and Hove3Northamptonshire1Bristol City of1Northumberland1Bromley1Nottingham1Bury1Peterborough1Central Bedfordshire1Redbridge9Coventry2Sandwell1Croydon3Sefton1Derbyshire1Slough5Dudley1Southend-on-Sea1Ealing5Surrey1Enfield6Sutton3Essex1Thurrock1Greenwich2Tower Hamlets1Haringey1Waltham Forest8Harrow3Wandsworth1Hillingdon3Wirral1Hounslow2Worcestershire1  England129Source: School census

Academies: Pay

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is being to ensure an equitable ratio in relation to the pay of (a) teaching and support staff and (b) senior management staff in academy schools.

Nadhim Zahawi: Academy trusts are free to set their own salaries for all teaching, support and senior management roles. However, we expect these to be justifiable and to reflect accurately the role. Trusts are not obliged to follow the statutory system set out in the independent School Teachers’ Review Body; although trusts can choose to follow the terms of the school teachers' pay and conditions document in relation to teachers and school leaders and local government employee designation for non-teaching staff.The government is clear about expectations on pay for all schools, and not just academy trusts. Where trusts are paying high salaries, the government will publicly challenge trusts and boards to justify themselves. We have been doing so for more than a year; and will continue to do so throughout 2019. The latest published data confirms that only 4% of trusts pay one or more salary over £150,000 and the mean average salary for an academy secondary headteacher is £92,400 and £88,800 for a maintained secondary headteacher. In addition, a recent survey of 1000 academies[1] found that the salary for executive leaders declined in 5 of the 6 categories based on pupil numbers in the trust. [1] https://www.jamescowperkreston.co.uk/benchmark-report/.

Swan School Oxford

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the timetable is for the new Swan School in Oxford to be signed off by his Department as ready to accept applications.

Nadhim Zahawi: ​We are committed to a free schools programme which aims to deliver high standards, choice and innovation.I am delighted to confirm that my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education agreed in principle, on 27 March 2019, to enter into a funding agreement with the River Learning Trust (RLT) for the Swan School to open, in Oxford, in September 2019. My officials are working closely with the RLT and its legal advisers to finalise the funding agreement, which we expect to agree shortly.To minimise uncertainty for parents of the Swan School’s prospective pupils for September, my officials informed the chief executive of the trust of the Secretary of State’s decision on 28 March, and we agreed with the headteacher of the Swan School that these parents could be informed.

Pupil Exclusions

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his department is taking to discourage schools from excluding primary-aged pupils.

Nick Gibb: Good discipline in schools is essential to ensure that all pupils can benefit from the opportunities provided by education. Schools can only exclude a pupil for a disciplinary reason, and all decisions to exclude a pupil must be lawful, reasonable and fair. The Government supports head teachers in using exclusion as a sanction, where it is warranted. Statutory guidance issued to schools is clear that they should consider underlying causes of poor behaviour before issuing an exclusion as a last resort. In March 2018, the Government launched an externally-led review of exclusions practice, led by Edward Timpson CBE. The review is exploring how head teachers use exclusion, and why pupils with particular characteristics are more likely to be excluded from school. It is also considering the differences in exclusion rates across primary and secondary schools in England. The review and the Government response will be published shortly.

Ministry of Justice

Theft: Prosecutions

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to review the use of Out Of Court Disposals for shop theft; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Holding answer received on 03 April 2019



We recognise that shoplifting is not a victimless crime. It causes cost and disruption to businesses, as well as damage to communities and consumers. We encourage all victims, including shop workers, to report these crimes to the police so that they can be recorded and dealt with accordingly. A report by the Centre for Social Justice issued last year concluded that people addicted to heroin and crack cocaine account for 70% of shop thefts. We are committed to ensuring the most vulnerable offenders, including those with drug addictions, are able to access support at the right time. This includes diverting offenders away from custody where appropriate. Out of Court Disposals are one important tool available in addressing shop theft – they allow the police to deal quickly and proportionately with low-level offending. Where an Out of Court Disposal is appropriate, we encourage the use of disposals which have a condition attached (be that rehabilitative, reparative, punitive or restrictive). This can achieve rapid compensation and/or divert offenders into rehabilitative services to address the root causes of their offending behaviour. We pay attention to trends and changes in the use of Out of Court Disposals on an ongoing basis.

High Court Enforcement: Standards

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the timeliness with which High Court Enforcement Ltd reclaim moneys awarded through a court judgment.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department issued to claimants who wish to make a complaint in the event that moneys owed to them through a court judgment are not reclaimed in full by high court enforcement companies.

Lucy Frazer: While the Ministry of Justice collects statistics about the number of writs that are received and enforced, either in full or in part, by High Court Enforcement Officers, it does not monitor the timeliness with which a High Court Enforcement Officer or company reclaims moneys awarded through a court judgment.Complaints about a High Court Enforcement Officer can be made to the company employing the High Court Enforcement Officer or to the High Court Enforcement Officers’ Association. Unfortunately, the court cannot guarantee that a creditor will reclaim the payment of a civil judgment, particularly where a debtor goes to great lengths to evade payment or simply does not have the means to pay.

Probation: Private Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on contracts with private probation service providers in each (a) nation and (b) region of the UK in each year for which data is available.

Rory Stewart: The spend data below is the total spend by HM Probation and Prison Services to the Community Rehabilitation Companies in England and Wales for the years shown.2015/16£528,700,000*2016/17£394,100,000*2017/18£373,300,000*Figures for 2018/19 have not been ratified and as such are not currently available.*Figures rounded up to the nearest £100,000 The MoJ does not hold this information for Scotland or Northern Ireland as probation services are devolved.

Legal Aid Scheme

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the number of solicitors’ firms accepting Criminal Legal Aid cases in the last five years.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the ability of people living in rural areas to access justice.

Lucy Frazer: Based on the most recent data available, the table below shows how many firms (and where a firm has multiple branches, the total number of offices) were active in any given year providing legal aid services in criminal matters. Numbers of both firms and offices have fluctuated due to a number of factors, including mergers and acquisitions, trends in the rates of criminal offending, and the impact of other policies and market conditions. Year2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/172017/182018/19Firms1,8611,7221,6561,6031,5171,5121,3881,3141,271Offices2,5982,4152,3382,2822,1722,2401,9911,9981,921 The Legal Aid Agency measures capacity according to the type of scheme in question. For criminal legal aid, all Criminal Justice System Areas over England and Wales have firms of solicitors operating under a criminal legal aid contract, in addition to approximately 250 Duty Solicitor schemes providing advice and representation in Police Stations and Magistrates courts. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) monitors capacity across criminal legal aid contracts on an ongoing basis. Where issues are identified, the LAA takes action to ensure there is ongoing availability of criminal legal advice for the public. For civil legal aid, there is at least one firm operating in each ‘Procurement Area’ providing services in every category of law, save for the ‘Housing and Debt’ category. Of the 134 Procurement Areas for this category, 4 do not currently have a provider holding a Housing and Debt contract, representing over 97% coverage across England and Wales. The Legal Aid Agency has since undertaken a further tender to secure provision in the remaining areas. In addition to the Civil Legal Advice Telephone Service, offering legal services in a range of issues to those who need it, we are establishing a £5m innovation fund to help people access legal support wherever they are in England and Wales.

Ministry of Justice: Ministerial Powers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many ministerial directions have been issued by Ministers in his Department in each of the last eight years.

Edward Argar: No ministerial directions have been issued by Ministers in the Ministry of Justice in the last eight years.

Crimes of Violence: Victims

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to support victims of violent crime.

Edward Argar: I am committed to working with partners and stakeholders across the system to ensure the most effective support for victims of serious and violent crime. The Ministry of Justice funds the provision of the national Homicide Service, which supports families bereaved by murder and manslaughter, and provides grant funding to Police and Crime Commissioners for the provision of support to other victims of crime including serious and violent crime in their areas. Many victims of the most serious violent crime have enhanced entitlements to services under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime in England and Wales. We committed in the Victims Strategy published in September to consider whether enhanced entitlements need to be revised in the Code. We will publish a consultation on a revised Code this year. The Prime Minister hosted a Serious Youth Violence Summit on 1 April, and following this on 4 April I hosted a roundtable event on the effectiveness of the Criminal Justice System in tackling serious violence. One of the areas of focus was on developing support arrangements for victims of serious violence. An immediate step in this work, which I will be announcing later today (4 April 2019), will be to develop support for direct witnesses of murder or manslaughter.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing Market

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to ensure the adequacy support for the housing market in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

James Brokenshire: Our priority remains to secure a negotiated agreement with the EU. It is however right for the government to prepare for every eventuality.We are committed to delivering safe, secure and affordable housing to people across the country, and our exit from the EU will not change this. A key pillar of realising this commitment is our ambition to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s, which will address affordability challenges. The Department is continuing to work closely with industry and all levels of government to monitor and support the housing market.We also made a number of announcements at the Spring Statement to continue to support the market, such as guaranteeing (through the Affordable Homes Guarantee Scheme) up to £3 billion of borrowing by housing associations in England, to support the delivery of around 30,000 affordable homes.To further ensure a smooth transition, we have implemented legislation which will mean that on Day 1 after exit, the UK’s regulatory requirements on construction products will be the same as the EU’s requirements. In the event of a no-deal scenario, we will continue to recognise EU product requirements as valid for sale on the UK market for a time limited period after we leave the EU.

Housing Estates: Regeneration

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support (a) the building of social housing and (b) other elements of estate regeneration.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is committed to increasing the supply of social housing and has made £9 billion available through the Affordable Homes Programme to March 2022, to deliver 250,000 new affordable homes of a wide range of tenures, including social rent.The Government has also given certainty over future rental income by allowing housing association and local authority landlords to increase rents by up to CPI+1 per cent from 2020. On 29 October 2018 the Autumn Budget confirmed that the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap had been abolished entirely and with immediate effect, giving councils the tools they need to deliver a new generation of council housing.The Estate Regeneration Programme is currently supporting and working with over 100 estates across the country.£290 million of loan funding has been made available to provide long term finance for estate regeneration.In March 2017, £32 million of grant funding was awarded to over 100 estates around the country to accelerate schemes at the early stages of regeneration and build access to commercial skills.Gloucester City Homes received £1.249 million of enabling grant to support the early preparatory and planning work for two estates in Gloucester.

Churches: Easter

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with local councils on grants for Easter community events held in or by churches.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has not had discussions with local councils on grants for Easter community events held in or by churches. More broadly, the Department encourages local authorities to consider supporting local community events. This includes the MHCLG-funded Near Neighbours programme which provides small grants to local communities to encourage people to come together to break down barriers, including funding events centred around a religious festival.

Homelessness: Veterans

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many former Armed Service personnel in England are currently (a) rough sleeping and (b) in temporary accommodation.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: MHCLG does not collect information for rough sleepers or those in temporary accommodation on whether they previously served in the Armed Forces.

Sleeping Rough

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will publish the bimonthly counts of rough sleepers by local authorities in receipt of the Rough Sleeping Initiative funding.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We do not intend to publish the results from the bi-monthly counts conducted in the Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) areas.This is internal management information and, unlike the annual snapshot rough sleeping statistics, are not independently verified. Publication could therefore undermine public trust and confidence in the integrity of the annual statistics.The bi-monthly counts enable an approximate measure of change for management and trend purposes (such as seasonal differences). This is used in combination with wider intelligence, including from our expert RSI advisers, to provide an understanding of the rough sleeping situation and cohort in each area.We intend to publish findings from both an impact and process evaluation of the RSI later this year. This will include analysis of relevant information collected from local authorities as part of the Department’s monitoring of the initiative.The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. In its first year, the RSI provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff. In all, the Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.

Sleeping Rough

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the average proportion change recorded in the bimonthly counts for the Rough Sleeping Initiative has been in (a) London and (b) England since July 2018.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: This information is not available. We do not intend to publish the results from the bi-monthly counts conducted in the Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) areas. The official measure of rough sleeping is the annual rough sleeping statistics.The bi-monthly counts for the RSI are internal management information and, unlike the annual snapshot rough sleeping statistics, are not independently verified. Publication could therefore undermine public trust and confidence in the integrity of the official annual statistics.We intend to publish findings from both an impact and process evaluation of the RSI later this year. This will include analysis of relevant information collected from local authorities as part of the Department’s monitoring of the initiative.The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. In its first year, the RSI provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff. In all,the Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.

Rented Housing

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of incentive payments to private landlords on (a) helping homeless people access long-term and stable housing options and (b) the provision of social housing in the local area.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: No assessment has been made, however local authorities have a duty to house those who are homeless and can provide incentives to private rented sector landlords where this is necessary, to secure accommodation that is suitable and meets the needs of homeless people. The Government is clear nobody should be without a roof over their head, that’s why we have committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period. This includes £37.8 million of funding to launch the London Collaboration Project, to improve the supply of homes and reduce the cost to local authorities. We recently announced £19.5 million for 54 projects across England through the Private Rented Sector Access Fund to enable thousands of households to be supported into long-term private rented accommodation.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2019 to Question 236427, (a) where and (b) when after the publication of the 2006 Edition of Approved Document Part B Volume 2 his Department communicated to the construction industry that filler material in Paragraph 12.7 of that document included the core of Aluminium Composite Material.

Kit Malthouse: The Department will have discussed the Approved Document B guidance in general with the construction industry after it was published but does not hold records of all specific issues which may have been discussed. The Building Control Alliance published its technical guidance note 18 on Use of Combustible Cladding Materials on Buildings Exceeding 18 metres in Height in June 2015 which provided additional clarification.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2019 to Question 236427 on Buildings: Insulation, when the term filler material was added to the 2006 Edition of Approved Document Part B Volume 2.

Kit Malthouse: The term filler was included in paragraph 12.7 of Volume 2 of the 2006 edition of Approved Document B, first published in 2006.

Refuges: Domestic Abuse

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the availability of refuges for victims of domestic violence in (a) Lewisham borough and (b) London.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to supporting all victims of domestic abuse.My Department does not hold information on the availability of refuges for victims of domestic abuse in (a) Lewisham Borough and (b) London. However, I am pleased to confirm that London Borough of Lewisham were successful in their bid for both the 2016-18 £20 million and the 2018-20 £22 million funds, partnering with the service provider Refuge and building upon their refuge provision and improving support for victims of domestic abuse with complex needs.Through the 2016-18 fund London Borough of Lewisham was awarded £114,224 over the two years, including receiving a share of the £1.1 million top up funding. In the current 2018-20 fund London Borough of Lewisham has been awarded £90,075, with the first instalment being released December 2018 and the remaining to be released in the 2019/20 financial year. London Borough of Lewisham were among 19 successful projects submitted by London Boroughs securing a total investment of £5,764,849.My Department has also carried out a review of how domestic abuse services are locally commissioned and funded across England. We have worked closely with sector partners, drawing on their data, expertise and knowledge. Following the review, we intend to consult on potential measures for sustainable delivery of support for victims and their children in accommodation-based services for domestic abuse across England shortly.

Buildings: Insulation

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to take steps in cases in which freeholders refuse to pay for the replacement of combustible cladding on buildings.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities his Department has advised on their dealings with freeholders who are refusing to pay for repairs on their buildings with combustible cladding.

Kit Malthouse: The Secretary of State has consistently set out his strong expectation that leaseholders should be protected from the costs of remediation. My department is actively engaging with all building owners who have not committed to protect leaseholders. We are considering various options to ensure that costs are not passed on to leaseholders.The Government is also backing local authorities to take enforcement action where building owners are refusing to remediate high-rise buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material cladding. This will include financial support where this is necessary for the local authority to carry out emergency remedial work.

Ministry of Defence

Military Aircraft: Procurement

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the UK's sovereign ability to manufacture complete military jets in the event that the manufacture of Hawk aircraft in the UK ceases.

Stuart Andrew: The 2018 UK Combat Air Strategy along with the £1.9 billion Ministry of Defence investment in the Future Combat Air System Technology Initiative will help support the skills, capability and capacity that provides combat air freedom of action and operational advantage as well as sustaining choice as to how a next generation combat air system is delivered.

Defence

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure his Department makes an assessment of export potential when designing and developing UK military capabilities.

Stuart Andrew: The Ministry of Defence considers exportability as part of its investment decisions and capability development process. We have developed an Exportability Policy internally and are working closely with industry to implement our approach. Recent examples of this approach include the Type 31e and the Combat Air Strategy. On 14 March 2019 we announced to Parliament (HCWS1411) a series of measures on Defence Prosperity including on growing exports and inward investment.



Update on Defence Prosperity Programme
(Word Document, 32.28 KB)

Armed Forces: Scotland

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many financial mitigation payments have been made to MoD personnel based in Scotland in relation to the Scottish rate of income tax; and at what salary level those payments began.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: No financial mitigation payments have yet been made to Ministry of Defence personnel resident in Scotland in relation to higher rates of Scottish income tax. Mitigation payments for Tax Year 2018-19 will be made in June 2019 to those with taxable earnings of £27,200 or more. Mitigation payments for Tax Year 2019-20 will be made in June 2020 to those with taxable earnings of £28,193 or more. It is estimated that up to 8,000 payments will be made in June 2019 and up to 7,000 payments in June 2020.

Armed Forces: Physiotherapy

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence,  how many regular military physiotherapists are currently deployed in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland, (d) Wales and (e) overseas.

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reserve military physiotherapists are currently deployed in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland, (d) Wales and (e) overseas.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As at 5 March 2019 there were the following numbers of Regular and Reserve physiotherapists by location.  RegularReserveEngland9244Scotland39Northern Ireland15Wales25Overseas80

Armed Forces: Physiotherapy

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian physiotherapists employed by his Department are deployed in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland, (d) Wales and (e) overseas.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The latest available data from the Joint Medical Group and the Ministry of Defence Human Resources Management System provides the following numbers of civilian physiotherapists by location.  CivilianEngland207Scotland21Northern Ireland8Wales10Overseas8

Armed Forces: Rehabilitation

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many rehabilitation support workers who are not qualified physiotherapists are deployed in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland, (d) Wales and (e) overseas.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There are a number of roles within the Defence Medical Services, other than physiotherapists, that support the rehabilitation of Service personnel. For the purposes of answering this question, rehabilitation support workers have been taken to mean Exercise Remedial Instructors. Currently there are the following in each location: England172Scotland10Northern Ireland4Wales5Overseas15

Indo-Pacific Region: Military Alliances

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the UK Government is taking to strengthen military co-operation with allies in the Indo-Pacific region.

Mark Lancaster: The UK already has strong ties with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, reinforced by regular exercises and operations. We maintain the UK Garrison in Brunei and UK-managed military facilities in Singapore. The UK will continue to deepen bilateral and multilateral defence engagement in the region - for example, in recently re-establishing the resident Defence Adviser post in Sri Lanka and applying for Observer Status on two of the Association of Southeastern Asian Nations Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus Expert Working Groups.

Indo-Pacific Region: Military Alliances

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the establishment of a UK forward deployment base in the Indo-Pacific region in addition to the existing arrangements in Brunei and Singapore.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ceredigion (Ben Lake) to Question 208862 on 23 January 2019.



Caribbean and South East Asia: Military Bases
(Word Document, 22.11 KB)

HMS Clyde

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to announce a preferred buyer for HMS Clyde.

Stuart Andrew: HMS CLYDE is operated by the Ministry of Defence under lease from BAE Systems. At the end of her current lease she will be returned to the company after which her future will be matter for BAE Systems.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK military personnel have been deployed in Yemen in the last six months.

Mark Lancaster: The Defence Attache accompanied the Foreign Secretary on his trip to Aden at the beginning of March. I am aware of speculative media conjecture regarding UK Special Forces in Yemen but, as the hon. Member knows, it is a longstanding policy of successive Governments not to comment on Special Forces.

Nuclear Submarines: Decommissioning

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse is of the Government's new arrangement with Babcock for the defuelling of former Royal Navy nuclear submarines in Rosyth and Devonport.

Stuart Andrew: We are currently negotiating a new contractual arrangement with Babcock, to ensure better value for money for the taxpayer to complete the defueling facility. I am withholding the cost as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests. I can confirm that defueling of existing and future laid-up nuclear submarines will take place at Devonport.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the value of arms sales transacted between the UK and Saudi Arabia under every letter of offer and acceptance underpinned by the Al-Yamama MOU.

Stuart Andrew: I am withholding this information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and another State.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the (a) arms exported under the 2005 Al-Salam arms deal, (b) pending deal announced in March 2018 for 48 Typhoon jets to Saudi Arabia and (c) associated in-country support for both of those deals are governed by the 1986 Al-Yamamah MOU.

Stuart Andrew: The 1986 Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Governments of the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to govern the government-to-government arrangements for the supply of military equipment and services to the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces, including the programmes of work agreed under the Salam Project.It is expected that any future agreement for additional Typhoon aircraft would be concluded under the Salam Project.

Russia: Military Aircraft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many unauthorised incursions Russian aircraft have made into UK airspace in each of the last 12 months.

Mark Lancaster: There have been no unauthorised incursions by Russian military aircraft into UK sovereign airspace.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment Support Allowance: Appeals

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment support allowance (ESA) claimants were in receipt of the assessment rate on (a) 31 March 2016, (b) 31 March 2017 and (c) 31 March 2018 while awaiting a decision on their appeal to the First Tier Tribunal against the disallowance of ESA following a work capability assessment.

Justin Tomlinson: The analytical datasets used to produce the ESA (WCA) Official Statistics only hold information on completed appeals and do not hold the date an appeal is lodged. Consequently, information on the rate of ESA paid whilst a first tier tribunal is in progress, is not available.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average cost to her Department is to process a mandatory reconsideration for personal independence payment.

Justin Tomlinson: The average DWP unit costs for Mandatory Reconsiderations for Personal Independence Payments for the latest full financial year 2017/18 are: Full year average 2017/18 – Operating costs level unit costs£PIP Claims Mandatory Reconsiderations61.93PIP Reassessments Mandatory Reconsiderations53.66 Costs are provided separately for Mandatory Reconsiderations relating to PIP Claims and PIP Reassessments as these are separate activities with costs gathered separately for each. The average unit costs that have been provided are taken from the DWP’s Activity Based Models at an Operating Costs level which includes direct costs relating to staff undertaking the activities (staff, and local non-staff costs only). They do not include higher level support costs such as management and corporate overheads relating to PIP administration activities.

Work Capability Assessment

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of whether Maximus is meeting the SC12 and SC13 targets in schedule 2.2 of the Health and Disability Assessment Services contract; and whether the Government collates data from individual assessment centres on those targets.

Justin Tomlinson: The supplier aims to deliver quality assessments as efficiently as possible. Our priority is to ensure that claimants who attend an assessment centre are seen and the supplier is achieving the SC12 target which measures the percentage of claimants sent home unseen. Currently, more people are waiting longer in assessment centres than we would like; the supplier is currently just below the SC13 target level which measures waiting times in assessment centres. SC12 and SC13 are national contractual service levels, but the Department does monitor performance at assessment centre-level. We are working closely with the supplier to improve waiting times for more claimants while ensuring the length of the assessment meets the individual claimant’s needs and claimants who attend for an assessment are seen.

Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with multiple sclerosis have made a new application for personal independence payments in each year since these payments were introduced; and how many of those people have received those payments in each nation of the UK.

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with multiple sclerosis in receipt of disability living allowance have been reassessed for personal independence payment in each year since those payments were introduced; and how many of those people have received those payments in each nation of the UK.

Justin Tomlinson: The latest available data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) clearances split by geographical area within Great Britain (region), by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) and by main disabling condition for both new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) reassessment claims for each month from the introduction of PIP in April 2013 to the last available data in January 2019, can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html  Please note that a PIP claimant’s disability is not recorded until they attend an assessment so the Department does not hold data on how many claimants with a particular condition made an application for PIP. Data on the number of registrations (applications) to PIP each month from April 2013 to January 2019 is available on Stat-Xplore. Please note that the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is only responsible for benefits in Great Britain. Social security benefits including PIP are a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and your questions regarding PIP in Northern Ireland should be directed at the Department of Communities in Northern Ireland who are responsible for PIP.

Universal Credit

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will will publish disaggregated data by medical condition for claimants in receipt of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The self-reported health condition or disability of individual Universal Credit claimants are recorded on our system and can be viewed by work coaches. However, it is not centrally collated in a way that allows aggregated analysis to be undertaken.The Department can record complex needs through the use of pinned notes which support staff in identifying and managing relevant experiences and circumstances of individual claimants.We continue to develop our approach to capturing accurate, aggregate data on claimants, including claimants with vulnerabilities. This work has been prioritised for the current Universal Credit development phase.

Universal Credit: Scotland

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of universal credit in Scotland have a mental health condition.

Alok Sharma: Currently we do not report aggregate information about whether or not a claimant has a mental health condition and to collate and quality assure this information would incur disproportionate costs. Our work coaches receive training to ensure they can offer effective support to different claimant groups. This enables them to provide tailored support and gain an excellent understanding of whether their claimants have, have had in the past, or might cycle in and out of having a mental health condition or extra support needs.

Universal Credit: Scotland

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what mental health training is provided to work coaches; and how many work coaches in Scotland have received mental health training to date.

Alok Sharma: DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society. We are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs. Work Coaches undergo a comprehensive training programme designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge required to provide a high quality service to all claimants. Specific training and guidance is provided for working with different vulnerable groups and those with complex needs including claimants with mental health conditions. In addition, Work Coaches have completed a two-day workshop, designed by experts in mental health and psychologists, and delivered where possible alongside external mental health partners. The training began in November 2017 and was completed at the end of March 2019. April 2019 will see the start of delivering this training to staff across the entire organisation who are employed in a claimant facing role, whether they engage with claimants by telephone, face to face or digitally. At the end of March 2019 all 1589 Work Coaches in Scotland had received Mental Health Training. * The data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution

Personal Independence Payment

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants have been awarded personal independence payments without going to (a) mandatory reconsideration and (b) appeal since the introduction of the benefit.

Justin Tomlinson: Information on the number of claimants awarded Personal Independence Payment (PIP) at initial decision is published and can be found using the PIP Clearances dataset in Stat-Xplore which can be accessed as follows:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html Some people awarded PIP at the initial decision continue to Mandatory Reconsideration and appeal to claim a higher PIP award.

Work Capability Assessment

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her speech entitled, Closing the gap between intention and experience, made on 5 March 2019, what (a) locations and (b) groups of claimants by protected characteristics, and (c) groups of claimants with medical conditions by ICD10 classification her Department plans to include in the proposed small test of a no-conditionality approach for claimants awaiting work capability assessment.

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,  with reference to her speech entitled Closing the gap between intention and experience delivered on 5 March 2019, what the timetable is for her Department to introduce the proposed small test of a no conditionality approach for claimants awaiting a work capability assessment.

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her speech entitled Closing the gap between intention and experience on 5 March 2019, when her Department plans to publish the findings of the small test of a no conditionality approach for claimants awaiting a work capability assessment.

Alok Sharma: The Department is still finalising the design of the Proof of Concept and seeking input from key representatives from the sector. It is a small scale test which will be run in 2-4 jobcentres during summer 2019. We will use the Proof of Concept to test whether we can increase engagement with claimants with disabilities or health conditions. Work Coaches will start with no mandatory requirements and then tailor conditionality up, based on an individual’s circumstances. We intend to apply it to those claimants pre-Work Capability Assessment; and, that, for those post work capability assessment found to have a Limited Capability for Work. We will apply it to all claimants presenting with medical evidence of a health condition, or disability, excluding only those who are Terminally Ill or who have conditions defined in schedule 8 or schedule 9 of the Universal Credit Regulations. Universal Credit does not use the ICD10 classification system for claimants recognising that each claimant is unique. Further detailed design on inclusion/exclusion criteria have yet to be defined.  The evaluation of the Proof of Concept will take place in Autumn 2019 after which we will determine next steps.

Working Links

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March to Question 235318 on Working Links, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the process of awarding the (a) Work Programme Leavers and (b) Links to Work contracts Working Links (Employment) Ltd.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department has taken part (a) of the question to be in relation to The Work Programme provision let in 2011, there is no Work Programme Leavers programme. The Department has taken part (b) of the question to be in relation to the ESF Links to Work Provision let in 2016. The Department complies with Public Procurement rules and Procurement Regulations in all sourcing activity. Internal governance, departmental assessment against Government Commercial Office Standards and Internal Audit reports monitor compliance.

Working Links

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2019 to Question 235320 on Working Links, over what period her Department’s Employment Category team carried out the due diligence process on Fedcap Employment.

Justin Tomlinson: The DWP Employment Category team undertook initial due diligence on the Fedcap Group in August 2018 when Fedcap first entered the UK market. Since then they have kept that due diligence up to date and impacted the changes arising from the Working Links takeover in February 2019.

Working Links

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2019 to Question 235321 on Working Links, if she will introduce financial safeguards to protect the viability of the Community and Voluntary Sector in the event of a Department contractor collapsing with money owing to sub-contractors.

Justin Tomlinson: The Administrator has statutory duties and obligations in relation to the management of a company and its property/assets during the period of any administration – these are covered by the Insolvency Act 1986. Any appropriate safeguards or commercial changes which DWP introduces will be subject to the normal application of insolvency law and procedure. DWP will seek to learn lessons as a result of the Working Links administration, and will implement appropriate commercial changes where appropriate.

Working Links

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, at the time of Working Links (Employment) Ltd's collapse what contacts they held with her Department; what the total value was of each of those contracts; and how much her Department had paid to Working Links (Employment) Ltd in relation to each of those contracts.

Justin Tomlinson: Working links held 3 Work Programme contracts, 5 Work Choice contracts, 6 European Social Fund contracts and were on the low value Dynamic Purchasing System. Work Programme and Work Choice were in exit mode, following cessation of referrals in March 2017 and November 2018 respectively, at the point of administration. Copies of the contract and contract values are accessible on the following site. https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search In accordance with the Government transparency commitment I can confirm that the DWP publishes a list of all financial transactions over £500 and £25,000 For spend over £25,000 follow the below link:- https://data.gov.uk/dataset/ccdc397a-3984-453b-a9d7-e285074bba4d/spend-over-25-000-in-the-department-for-work-and-pensions Explanatory notes on your findings on spend over £25000 can be found by following the below link:- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-monthly-payments-explanatory-notes For spend over £500 follow the below link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/what-dwp-spends Explanatory notes on your findings on spend over £500 can be found by following the below link:- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-government-procurement-card-monthly-payments-explanatory-notes Departmental contracts held by Working Links were on a payment by results basis and, therefore, actual spend will not align to the contract value as the latter is based on 100% performance.

Universal Credit

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential (a) cost to the public purse and (b) benefits of universal credit claimants receiving an up-front payment after making a valid claim for universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The Department is committed to ensuring that Universal Credit works for all claimants. We listen to the concerns and views of organisations and individuals and have delivered improvements to better support claimants, and will continue to do so. New claimants can apply for a Universal Credit new claim advance, worth up to 100 per cent of a claimant’s indicative award, and are available up front, if there is a need. Advances are paid back over a period of 12 months and in the Autumn Budget 2018, we announced that from October 2021, the payback period for these advances will be extended further, up to 16 months.This is just one of a number of measures the Department has put in place to support claimants such as paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.

Child Maintenance Service: Complaints

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) points of dissatisfaction and (b) complaints have been logged with the Child Maintenance Service in each year for which information is available.

Justin Tomlinson: In terms of volumes of dissatisfactions, the table below refers. This includes all Dissatisfaction actions that have been opened, regardless of the outcome.  -2015201620172018Total Dissatisfactions4,9888,03813,57424,255Caseload at year end180,100291,000391,800463,300% of Caseload2.8%2.8%3.5%5.2% The latest statistics on complaints received by the Child Maintenance Service are published in Table 17 of the Child Maintenance Service statistics, which highlights the number of complaints received by the Child Maintenance Service each quarter. It is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme.”

Child Maintenance Service: Staff

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many members of staff (a) were employed in each year for which information is available and (b) are employed by the Child Maintenance Service to deal with complaints; and whether that Service has plans to employ more such staff.

Justin Tomlinson: CMG Headcount/FTE (a)Complaints Headcount/FTE (b)February 20197056135March 20186963184March 20178066153March 20168558.294.5March 20158442.8111.1March 20148098.9127.16March 20136961.8142.5March 20127528.8175.7March 20117635.1203.8   The numbers in column (a) reflects the total number of people or headcount in Child Maintenance Group. The numbers in column (b) are the resource supporting complaints for CMS and CSA. We are unable to provide a CMS only breakdown as the team deal with both CMS and CSA complaints. Resourcing in Complaints team is reviewed regularly, with the most recent review completed in April 2018. However, I can confirm that there are no plans in place at present to increase staffing in that area. Prior to 2017 this was counted as total resource required, however from 2017 this was recorded as headcount i.e. people. Hence from 2017 the number increases as it began counting number of individuals.

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a claimant of personal independence payment that received a health assessment report audited by her Department is entitled to the (a) original and (b) audited report.

Justin Tomlinson: If a claimant requests a copy of their assessment report they are entitled to receive it. Where an assessment report has been reviewed or reworked by DWP the claimant will receive copies of both the original and audited versions. Please note, the audited version of an assessment report is different to the Auditors Report produced by the Department about the Assessment Provider. Claimants are not entitled to see Auditors Reports.

Children: Maintenance

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many historical arrears-only cases from the 1993 and 2003 Child Maintenance Schemes, were on the Child Support Agency's computer systems when the Child Maintenance (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018 came into force on l4 December, 2018.

Justin Tomlinson: The number of historical arrears-only cases from the 1993 and 2003 Child Maintenance Schemes which were on the Child Support Agency’s computer systems when the Child Maintenance (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018 came into force on 14 December, 2018 is not available.The number of historical arrears-only cases on the computer systems at 31st December 2018 was 496,400. This figure was published in the Child Support Agency Quarterly Statistical Summary (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-of-statistics-december-2018).

Children: Maintenance

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many historical arrears-only cases from the 1993 and 2003 Child Maintenance Schemes have been closed by the Child Support Agency since the Child Maintenance (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018 came into force on 14 December 2018.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the amount of historical arrears-only cases from the 1993 to 2003 Child Maintenance Scheme that have been written-off by the Child Support Agency since 14 December 2018.

Justin Tomlinson: The information is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics, however we expect these new statistics to be published in June 2019. Information on the planned changes to the Child Support Agency Quarterly Statistical Summary to incorporate this information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-support-agency-statistics-publication-strategy

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Livestock: Animal Welfare

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of ending the transfer of live animals for fattening.

David Rutley: The transport of live animals, including to fattening units, must comply with EU and domestic legislation aimed at protecting animal welfare. Last year we launched a Call for Evidence on controlling live exports for slaughter and improving the welfare of all animals during transport. We have passed this evidence to the independent Farm Animal Welfare Committee and expect to receive their report and recommendations shortly.

Food: Labelling

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with devolved Administrations on the consultation on proposed amendments to the domestic Food Information Regulations 2014 (FIR) (England) and parallel FIR regulations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales relating to allergen information for foods that are prepacked for direct sale to the consumer on the same premises from which they are sold.

David Rutley: The consultation on allergen information provisions, which closed on Friday 29 March, was a joint UK wide consultation between Defra, the Foods Standards Agency in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, and Food Standards Scotland. As food labelling is a devolved issue, the decision to run the consultation across the whole of the United Kingdom was dependent upon the support and involvement of the devolved administrations. Throughout the process, Defra officials have been working closely with officials from Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standards Agency. Looking to the future, we will continue to work closely with the devolved administrations to ensure that all UK consumers have complete trust in the food they consume.

Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the British Horseracing Authority and b) Cheltenham racecourse on the deaths of three horses during the meeting at that course in March 2019.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the ability of the British Horseracing Authority to ensure the welfare of racehorses following the deaths of three horses at the Cheltenham festival in March 2019.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the welfare of racehorses at the Cheltenham festival in 2020 following the deaths of three horses at the 2019 festival.

David Rutley: Defra is keen that the welfare needs of racehorses are well met, both during their racing lives and afterwards. The loss of any racehorse is a tragedy. Since the end of last year, I have been in regular dialogue with the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) about racehorse safety both at Cheltenham and in racing in general. As the BHA are responsible for racehorse safety at tracks, I have not had any direct contact with Cheltenham racetrack. I have recently written to the Chair of the BHA requesting an update on the cause of the fatalities at this year’s event and why they were not prevented by the policies that were put in place, as a result of the seven fatalities at last year’s Festival. I will also discuss these concerns when I meet the newly appointed independent Chair of the racing industry’s new Horse Welfare Board, Barry Johnson, who is a former Chair of World Horse Welfare as well as a former President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. I am also seeking clarity on the roles and responsibilities of the Horse Welfare Board to ensure that it will be able to make recommendations that the racing industry will implement.

Agricultural Machinery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has plans for a scrappage scheme to encourage replacement of  older farm machinery with more environmentally friendly equipment.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government does not have plans for a scrappage scheme to encourage replacement of older farm machinery. However, the Countryside Productivity Scheme has recently offered grant funding for projects in England which improve productivity in the farming and forestry sectors. This has included offers of grants for machinery and technology that would result in more efficient use of energy and resources. As part of our new agricultural policy, we propose to support farmers to invest in equipment, technology and infrastructure that will help them to improve productivity and deliver public goods, such as environmental benefits.

Agriculture: Apprentices

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, can the member further outline whether apprenticeships will be age restricted or will be designed to entice any particular demographic.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Defra is an inclusive Department, which encourages all age demographics to engage with the apprenticeship offer. An apprentice can be a new recruit or current employee aged 16 or over. However, individuals do have to meet set eligibility criteria to be able to take up an apprenticeship and receive funded training opportunities.

Air Pollution

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to ClientEarth's correspondence with local authorities in England and Wales on the the legal risk of inaction on air pollution, whether local authorities are sufficiently equipped to address illegal air pollution levels.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK continues to meet all current international air quality limits except for NO2. In July 2017 we published the NO2 Plan, backed by £3.5 billion funding, which sets out the steps we are taking to comply with NO2 limits as soon as possible. Also, we published our ambitious Clean Air Strategy in January which the Director-General of the World Health Organization described as “an example for the rest of the world to follow”. Recognising that there are still local authorities which are in breach of statutory limits on roadside NO2 concentrations, the UK government allocated £495 million of funding to support local authorities in its 2017 plan. Local authorities already have many powers to monitor and reduce air pollution and we continue to work intensively with them, to identify measures to bring forward compliance as soon as possible.

Fungicides

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to ban chlorothalonil following the EU's decision to do so.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The European Commission Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (pesticides legislation and residues) voted not to renew approval of chlorothalonil on 22 March. The Commission is now expected to adopt this proposal. Once the text is published, it will come into force after 20 days. When we leave the EU, the UK will retain the list of EU-approved pesticides in UK law as it stands at the point of departure (or at the end of the Implementation Period, if this applies). If we leave the EU without a deal and the EU decision on chlorothalonil is not in force at the point of leaving the EU, then the UK will make its own decision on this approval. We have made clear that we will not weaken standards. Decisions on the use of pesticides will continue to be based on a careful scientific assessment of the risks, and we would legally apply the same principles established under the EU regulation. Responsibility is shared between Defra and the Devolved Administrations. This would be based on a recommendation from our national regulator, the Health and Safety Executive, and additional independent advice and assurance from the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides.

Pollution Control

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to maintain strict regulatory control on air and water pollution after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Through the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and secondary legislation made under it, existing EU environmental law will be brought into domestic law and will continue to operate in the UK after exit day.Air quality targets for 2030 are already in domestic law.Permits and licences issued by UK regulatory bodies will continue to apply as now.

Drinking Water: Asbestos

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned on the ingestion of crocidolite blue asbestos fibres through drinking water; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Drinking Water Inspectorate commissioned a research review in 2002 entitled Asbestos Cement Drinking Water Pipes and Possible Health Risks. The resulting report is published on the Inspectorate’s website at http://www.dwi.gov.uk/research/. This report considered all relevant research, including that on crocidolite blue asbestos fibres, and concluded that ‘the possibility of health effects from asbestos fibres in drinking water has been widely studied but with little evidence for any concern’. More recent research by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2012 and an evaluation by Health Canada also in 2012 informed the WHO’s current position that little convincing evidence has been found of the carcinogenicity of ingested asbestos.

Drinking Water: Asbestos

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make representations to the (a) World Health Organization and (b) International Agency for Research on Cancer on undertaking additional research on cancers caused by the ingestion of asbestos fibres through drinking water; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: a) The Drinking Water Inspectorate contacted the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the topic of asbestos arising in drinking water pipes in 2018 to establish if asbestos was to be included in the forward work programme for review. The WHO’s Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality Chemical Working Group had considered asbestos in 2014 and concluded that reassessment of asbestos was a low priority however WHO have stated that they will be looking at their priorities more formally in 2019 for the forthcoming 5th edition of the Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality.b) The International Agency for Research on Cancer is a subgroup of the WHO.

Water Supply: Asbestos

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will direct (a) the Drinking Water Inspectorate and (b) Ofwat to monitor levels of asbestos in water; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Water companies are required to risk assess their supplies from source to tap and rectify any issues if there is a risk to human health. The World Health Organization have assessed that there is no consistent evidence of impact on human health from ingesting asbestos through drinking water, therefore levels of asbestos in water are not monitored.

Home Office

Home Office: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2019 to Question 223971 on Home Office: Staff, what the daily rate of pay was for each of the roles listed in that Answer.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office has obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation and in law generally to protect personal data.The contractual terms and conditions for an employee are personal data between the employer and the employee as set out in the contract of employment.We cannot therefore comment on contracted daily rate of pay for individual staff.

Home Office: Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many mandatory cyber security training sessions civil servants working in his Department are required to undertake.

Mr Ben Wallace: Civil Servants are manadated to undertake a course entitled "Responsible for Information", which includes steps to improve information security. Civil Servants required to handle higher classification information have enhanced requirements.

Terrorism: New Zealand

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Turkey, (b) Bulgaria and (c) Greece on supporting their investigations into the movement of the suspect in the recent shootings in mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Mr Ben Wallace: UK law enforcement and intelligence services regularly engage with international partners on issues of mutual interests. HMG has offered support to New Zealand in the aftermath of the attack in Christchurch.

Home Office: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people working on developing NCA Transformation Programme are (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.

Mr Ben Wallace: In response to the question, the number of people working on developing the NCA Transformation programme are 155 civil servants, 104 professional services and 38 contingent labour. This is based on the Resource Model as of 27/03/2019.

Refugees: Families

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support his Department provides to families who have been reunited through refugee family reunion.

Caroline Nokes: Those granted under refugee family reunion provisions are entitled to work and have access to mainstream benefits on broadly the same basis as British Citizens. Their refugee sponsor can also apply for a refugee integration loan to support their integration into the community and help rebuild their lives here.On 9 February 2019, the Government published the Integrated Communi-ties action plan, which includes measures to enable integration for recent migrants and refugees.

Ministers of Religion: Migrant Workers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions his Department has held with representatives of faith communities on (a) the application of immigration rules to religious workers under Tier 5 and (b) the reassignment of ministers of religion from Tier 5 to Tier 2, with particular regard to definitions of preaching and teaching.

Caroline Nokes: The Government recognises the contributions religious workers and Ministers of Religion make to our communities in the UK. Home Office officials maintain regular contact with faith groups and their representatives, with regards to our immigration provisions and to address specific concerns in-dividual groups may have.

Ministers of Religion: Migrant Workers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of faith communities on the qualifications which will be recognised in order for an individual to be recognised as a minister of religion under immigration rules.

Caroline Nokes: The Immigration Rules include a definition of a Minister of Religion. Officials ensure that published guidance provides the necessary direction for sponsors and migrants wishing to come to the UK, to ensure they select the appropriate visa category. All guidance documents are subject to review, both as a matter of routine and in response to feedback from users.

Home Office: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of people working on the Technology Platforms for Tomorrow programme broken down by (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.

Victoria Atkins: The number of people working on the Technology Platforms for Tomorrow Programme is made up of (a) 0 contingent labour (b) 53 supplier resources (c) 17 Civil Servants.

Religious Buildings: Security

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much Government funding is allocated to the protection of (a) mosques, (b) synagogues, (c) churches, d) Hindu Temples, e) Gurdwaras and (f) other places of worship.

Victoria Atkins: Under the 2016 Hate Crime Action Plan, we committed £2.4m over three years to the Places of Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme to provide protective security measures to places of worship who have been victim of or are vulnerable to hate crime attacks. Last week, we announced an uplift of funding for 2019/20 of the scheme to £1.6 million. This is double the amount awarded in 2018/19. Following the Finsbury Park terror attack in June 2017, we also announced a one year £1m fund to protect vulnerable faith institutions.Both the Places of Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme and the Vulnerable Faith Institution Scheme are/were open to Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu faiths. There are no specific allocations of funding per faith group, with decisions on funding being based on eligibility criteria and the recommendations of the multi-faith independent advisory panel (with security expertise).We provide funding for the security of Jewish sites separately through the Jewish Community Protective Security (JCPS) Grant, which is delivered by the Community Security Trust. Funding to synagogues is allocated on a risk assessed basis, and is as follows:2015-16 - approx. £800k 2016-17 - approx. £900K2017-18 - approx. £1.3m

Religious Buildings: Security

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in attacks on mosques; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: Attacks on any place of worship are completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our communities. We know there have been incidents at mosques following the New Zealand attacks, and we are aware of anxieties within communities around safety and security at places of worship.The police continue to protect places of worship as part of their core priorities, and following the recent attacks on mosques, these patrols have been increased to provide enhanced safety and reassurance to all places of worship.We recently announced an increase in funding for the Places of Worship Protective Security Fund to £1.6 million for 2019-20. This is double the amount awarded last year. This is the fourth year of the scheme, with just under 50 mosques granted funded over the first three years. In addition, we have committed £5 million over three years for the provision of security training to places of worship. We will be consulting with communities and faith groups to develop and deliver this new scheme as well as review what more should be done.

Migrant Workers

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions his Department has had with representatives from the (a) hospitality sector, (b) agriculture sector and (c) health sector on the immigration White Paper.

Caroline Nokes: The Government published the White Paper ;The UK’s future skills-based immigration system (Cm 9722) on 19 December 2018. The White Paper is the start of a new conversation and we have launched a year-long engagement programme to take the views of stakeholders across the UK to hear their priorities, concerns and ideas before policies and processes are finalised and the new system comes into force from January 2021. We are determined to ensure that the future system is efficient and able to respond to users’ needs.We have already delivered around 30 events reaching well over 500 stakeholders, for example, business and employer representatives, including the Confederation of Business Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses, as well as those from the health and social care sector, the hospitality industry and the construction and automotive industries. We are holding discussions with sectors and also across the UK, and have already held events in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with events in Wales being scheduled for April This is in addition to our continued engagement and negotiations with the EU and international partners.As part of this engagement, we have established a range of advisory groups to enable detailed discussions with private, public and voluntary sector employers and industry representatives. Membership details of these groups will be published on gov.uk shortly.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Migration Advisory Committee on future immigration policy after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: My Rt Hon Friend the Home Secretary and I met the Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee on 20 March 2019.

Health Services and Social Services: Migrant Workers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to engagement proposals in the immigration White Paper, what plans his Department has for engagement with the health and care sector.

Caroline Nokes: The Government published the White Paper ;The UK’s future skills-based immigration system (Cm 9722) on 19 December 2018. The White Paper is the start of a new conversation and we have launched a year-long engagement programme to take the views of stakeholders across the UK to hear their priorities, concerns and ideas before policies and processes are finalised and the new system comes into force from January 2021. We are determined to ensure that the future system is efficient and able to respond to users’ needs.We have already delivered around 30 events reaching well over 500 stakeholders, for example, business and employer representatives, including the Confederation of Business Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses, as well as those from the health and social care sector, the hospitality industry and the construction and automotive industries. We are holding discussions with sectors and also across the UK, and have already held events in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with events in Wales being scheduled for April This is in addition to our continued engagement and negotiations with the EU and international partners.As part of this engagement, we have established a range of advisory groups to enable detailed discussions with private, public and voluntary sector employers and industry representatives. Membership details of these groups will be published on gov.uk shortly.

Offensive Weapons Bill 2017-19: Northern Ireland

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether legislative consent motions to the Northern Ireland Assembly are required for the Offensive Weapons Bill 2017-19, and how consent will be sought for the extension of provisions of that Bill to Northern Ireland.

Victoria Atkins: The United Kingdom Government has been liaising closely with Northern Ireland departments in respect of devolved matters where provisions in the Offensive Weapons Bill may extend to Northern Ireland. Consideration has been given by Northern Ireland departments and UK Government Ministers on extending this legislation in the absence of an Assembly or a Legislative Consent Motion.The Bill contains separate commencement measures for provisions extending to Northern Ireland which relate to devolved matters. These are to be commenced by the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland and associated regulations will not be commenced without Northern Ireland assembly approval.

Immigration: Applications

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the affordability of the Indefinite Leave to Remain application fee.

Caroline Nokes: An assessment of the impact of all border, immigration and citizenship (BIC) fees was published as an associated document to the Immigration and Nationality Fees (Regulations) 2018. Whilst the assessment doesn’t focus on affordability, which would be a very subjective matter, it does include estimates of price elasticity.The relevant information can be found via the following link:http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2018/59/pdfs/ukia_20180059_en.pdf

Immigration: Afghanistan

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons a waiver from Indefinite Leave to Remain fees was granted to the 150 Afghan Interpreters who aided the British Army during Operation Herrick.

Caroline Nokes: In May 2018, the Home Secretary announced that Afghan interpreters, who worked alongside British Forces in Afghanistan, and their family members who relocate to the UK can apply for settlement free of charge after five years’ residence here.It was never our intention to expect Afghan local staff who relocated to the UK to return to Afghanistan. The changes to the Immigration Rules pro-vide reassurance that they can continue to build their lives and future in the UK. In addition, given the risks that Afghan interpreters faced, includ-ing threats to safety, as a direct result of their work alongside UK forces on the front line, we believe it was appropriate to provide a fee exemption.

Members: Correspondence

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to reply to my letter dated 28 January 2019 on a visa application for a young person bereaved by the Grenfell Tower fire.

Caroline Nokes: A reply was sent on 1 April.

British Nationality

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the average length of time taken for consideration of a case of deprivation of citizenship has been in each year since 2010.

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the maximum length of time taken for consideration of a case of deprivation of citizenship since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: We do not hold data required to answer the question in the requested format.

Shoplifting: Harrow East

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to support convenience retailers in Harrow East to prevent shop theft.

Victoria Atkins: I chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) which brings together partners including the police, trade bodies and retailers and is overseeing a range of work to tackle retail crime. This includes the collation and dissemination of good practice and developing guidance on the use of Impact Statements for Business, which give victims of business crime the opportunity to set out the impact the crime has had on the business, including, for example, financial loss. The NRCSG also continues to work with retailers to improve the management and response to shop theft using a partnership approach.

Independent Office for Police Conduct

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to review the lack of an appropriate time limit for Independent Office of Police Complaints disciplinary investigations.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government intends to introduce new regulations on the timeliness of police disciplinary investigations carried out by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) or by police forces themselves.If an investigation is not completed within 12 months, an explanation will need to be provided including the reasons for the length of time being taken, the planned steps to bring the investigation to a conclusion and an estimate of when the report of the investigation will be completed.

Shoplifting: Birmingham Hall Green

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to support convenience retailers in Birmingham, Hall Green that lost an estimated £194,659 due to shop theft; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: I chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) which brings together partners including the police, trade bodies and retailers and is overseeing a range of work to tackle retail crime.This includes the collation and dissemination of good practice and developing guidance on the use of Impact Statements for Business, which give victims of business crime the opportunity to set out the impact the crime has had on the business, including, for example, financial loss. The NRCSG also continues to work with retailers to improve the management and response to shop theft using a partnership approach.

Detention Centres: Minimum Wage

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the merits of revising policies which exempt detention centres from minimum wage legislation.

Caroline Nokes: Individuals detained in immigration removal centres are exempt from national minimum wage requirements by virtue of section 153A of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and section 45B of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998. There are no current plans to change the law.

Crime Prevention: Retail Trade

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to tackle retail crime and violence against shopworkers in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Victoria Atkins: All forms of retail crime are unacceptable, and everyone has the right to feel safe at work.I chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) which brings together partners including the police, trade bodies – including the Associ-ation of Convenience Stores - and retailers and is overseeing a range of work to tackle retail crime. This includes the collation and dissemination of good practice and developing guidance on the use of Impact Statements for Business, which give victims of business crime the opportunity to set out the impact the crime has had on the business, including, for example, financial loss. The NRCSG also continues to work with retailers to improve the management and response to shop theft using a partnership approach according to local circumstances.On 21 January I announced that we will launch a call for evidence on violence and abuse towards shop workers to strengthen our understanding of this issue, including how existing legislation is being applied.In addition, the Sentencing Council is reviewing its guidelines on assault and a consultation on a revised guideline is anticipated to commence this Summer.

Immigration

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Immigration Minister of 26 February 2019, Official Report column 222, whether he plans to introduce an immigration Bill following consultation on the White Paper entitled The UK's future skills-based immigration system.

Caroline Nokes: As we have made clear, we will end free movement through the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill and implement most of the arrangements for the future border and immigration system in UK Immigration Rules as is the case now. If primary legislation is required to implement any details of the future system, we will bring forward that legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases under the Windrush Scheme remain outstanding.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the Windrush Scheme cases that were outstanding as of 31 October 2018 were (a) refused, (b) accepted and what the outcome was and (c) remain outstanding.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Secretary provides the Home Affairs Select Committee with monthly updates on the work of the department in connection with Windrush. This includes information on decisions made by the Taskforce, including refusals under the Windrush Scheme. The monthly updates can be found at the following link, including the most recent letter to the Chair of HASC sent in March 2019.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/correspondence-on-the-work-of-the-home-office-windrush

Visas: Applications

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications to UK Visas and Immigration under the priority service have exceeded the advertised timescale for (a) 24 hour and (b) priority decision since March 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office does not publish the information requested.Available information on visas and service standards can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data

Shoplifting: Glasgow North East

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to support convenience retailers in Glasgow North East that lost an estimated £194,659 due to shop theft; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: This matter is devolved to the Scottish Government.

National Business Crime Centre: Finance

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will continue to provide funding to the National Business Crime Centre.

Victoria Atkins: Ministers are yet to take a decision regarding the award of allocations from the PTF for 2019/2020.

Shoplifting

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using existing powers under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to tackle shop theft including (a) the Community Trigger, and (b) Community Remedy; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: Where shop theft involves anti-social behaviour, local areas in England and Wales may use the tools provided for by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. Where appropriate, this may include the Community Remedy, which gives victims of low-level crime and anti-social behaviour a say in the punishment of perpetrators who receive an out of court punishment, and the Community Trigger, which gives victims of persistent anti-social behaviour the ability to request a formal case review.

Children in Care: EU Nationals

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of support for EU children in care that will need to apply to stay under the EU settlement scheme.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office has put in place a comprehensive vulnerability strategy to ensure that the EU Settlement Scheme is accessible for all, including children in care.The Home office has been engaging with relevant stakeholders such as the Department for Education, Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Children’s Services to assess the needs of this group and ensure they are supported.Specific guidance and resources for local authorities and community leaders is being produced to inform vulnerable groups about the application process and the need to apply.The Home Office has introduced a range of support including up to £9 million grant funding for voluntary and community organisations, assisted digital support and support via the EU Settlement Scheme Resolution Centre.A New Burdens Assessment has also been produced in collaboration with key stakeholders representing local authorities and children’s social services to ensure they are funded to identify and support EU children in care.

Cabinet Office

Civil Service: Staff

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions his Department has had with other UK Government departments on increasing the number of civil service personnel outside of London.

Oliver Dowden: The Places for Growth programme seeks to deliver the Government’s commitment tomove Civil Service roles and public bodies out of London and the South East of EnglandThis commitment was set out in the Conservative Party Manifesto of 2017 and thenrestated in the Industrial Strategy White Paper and the Government Estates Strategy (July2018)The Cabinet Office is supporting departments and public bodies to identify opportunitiesfor relocation of roles to cities across the regions and nations of the United Kingdom. TheProgramme is providing support and coordination across Whitehall to move roles andorganisations to locations that have the skills and capacity to enable organisations andcities to flourishThe Programme is also engaging with city leaders across the UK to understand the localeconomic and industrial priorities which will inform the decision-making process.

Care Leavers and Children in Care: Death

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths have been recorded of looked after children and care leavers under the age of 25 living in supported or semi supported accommodation in each of the last 10 years, by local authority.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsiblity of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 129.23 KB)

Treasury

Mortgages: Private Rented Housing

Luke Graham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to change the law on the income threshold requirement for buy-to-let mortgages by (a) lowering the threshold and (b) removing the requirement for the threshold to be more than the rent from the let property.

John Glen: The independent Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) is responsible for the regulation of the underwriting of buy-to-let mortgages. Under the PRA’s Supervisory Statement of September 2016, firms are required to conduct: an interest coverage ratio test which compares expected rental income to the monthly interest cost of mortgage repayments; and/or an income affordability test. Lenders must also take into account future changes to interest rates over a minimum period of five years. The purpose of this is to prevent lenders taking excessive risk by ensuring that the borrowers have the ability to repay the loan.Beyond the requirements set out in the regulations, decisions concerning how lenders assess mortgage applications are commercial decisions for banks and building societies. I hope you can appreciate that it would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in these decisions.

Banks: Rural Areas

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing banking hubs in rural locations.

John Glen: Decisions on opening and closing bank branches are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis. Banks themselves are best placed to make these commercial decisions based on their strategies. However, the Government has and will continue to encourage providers to think creatively about the merits of alternative models including in rural areas. Existing services, such as the Post Office, already offer a range of banking services across an extensive network that ensures essential banking facilities remain available in as many communities as possible. Individual and small business customers can withdraw money, deposit cash and cheques and check balances at 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK. Since 2010, Post Office branch numbers have been at their most stable for decades and 99% of the national population now lives within three miles of a branch. Furthermore, 93% of the national population live within one mile of their nearest post office branch. Almost 98.7% of the rural population lives within 3 miles of a post office.

Oil: Prices

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what analysis his Department has carried out on the correlation between changes in crude oil prices and changes in petrol and diesel prices paid by motorist at the pumps.

Robert Jenrick: The pump prices for petrol and diesel are affected by a number of factors including the oil price and exchange rate. It is important for motorists to be confident that they are being treated fairly, and that when wholesale costs of fuel come down, these reductions are passed on transparently, and without unnecessary delay. The Government believes this is achieved through effective market competition. In 2013, the Office of Fair Trading found that competition in the road fuels sector was working relatively effectively, although a competition problem was identified in the market for road fuels on motorways, for which action was taken at Autumn Statement 2014. The Government will continue to make it clear to industry that it expects it to pass any savings that result from lower oil prices onto customers. The Government has also frozen fuel duty in every year from 2011 to lessen the impact of high fuel prices on households and business costs. By the end of 2019-20, fuel duty will have been frozen for nine successive years, saving the average car driver £1000 compared to the pre-2010 fuel duty escalator plans.

London Capital and Finance: Insolvency

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the administration of London Capital and Finance PLC.

John Glen: The Treasury is monitoring developments relating to the failure of London Capital & Finance (LCF) very closely and is in regular contact with the Financial Conduct Authority. However, the Treasury has no formal role in the administration process of a firm such as LCF and it would be inappropriate for us to comment on the administration process, which is a matter for the joint administrators – in this case, Finbarr O’Connell, Adam Stephens, Colin Hardman and Henry Shinners of Smith & Williamson LLP. Further information regarding the administration itself can be found on the joint administrators’ website at the following link: https://smithandwilliamson.com/business/services/restructuring-and-recovery-services/london-capital

Banks: Scotland

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had with the Scottish Government on borrowing limits for the proposed Scottish National Investment Bank.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to support the Scottish Government in establishing the Scottish National Investment Bank.

Elizabeth Truss: Treasury ministers and officials have regular discussions with our counterparts in the Scottish Government on matters of importance to Scotland and the wider UK, including the Scottish Government’s plans to establish a Scottish National Investment Bank. The Scottish Government’s new fiscal framework was agreed in December 2016, including increased borrowing powers and a larger Scotland Reserve. It is for the Scottish Government to decide how to use these flexibilities to support the Scottish National Investment Bank.

Public Sector: Borrowing

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which (a) UK Government, (b) devolved and (c) local authority agencies have powers to defer borrowing from one year to the next.

Elizabeth Truss: The ability to borrow direct from markets is highly restricted in government. Government borrowings are largely made up of gilts held by the National loans fund, National savings and Investment products held by the National loans fund and Treasury bills held by the Debt Management Account. This is managed by the debt management office , who publish an annual Debt management report to provide transparency on debt financing. Managing Public Money (paragraph 5.8, 5.9 and Annex 5.5) set out the rules for central government bodies in respect of borrowing. Treasury approval for borrowing from the National Loans Fund requires Treasury consent and specific legal powers (MPM 5.8.1). External borrowing also requires Treasury approval (MPM 5.9.1). Loan guarantees require provisions in estimates, specific statutory powers and Treasury approval. Local authorities are responsible for managing their own borrowing plans. Local authorities are not supposed to knowingly borrow in advance of need. The borrowing caps for the Scottish and Welsh Governments are set out in the respective fiscal framework documents while the borrowing cap for the Northern Ireland Executive is agreed with the Chief Secretary as part of spending review negotiations. The devolved administrations do not have the flexibility to defer borrowing from one year to the next.

Aircraft: Imports

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has plans to charge VAT on aircraft imported into other EU states but remain in the UK after the UK has left the EU.

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with officials in the EU on the VAT status of aircraft  imported into UK territories but remain in EU member states after the UK leaves the EU.

Mel Stride: Treasury Ministers meet regularly with EU counterparts to discuss a wide range of issues. The free movement of aircraft being used as a means of transport is guaranteed by the Chicago Convention. This allows aircraft to land and take off at airports all over the world without the inconvenience of paying and reclaiming customs duties each time a trip is made. This will continue after the UK exits the EU. VAT is charged on the sale or import of aircraft at two rates – either 20 % or 0%. The rate applied is dependent on how the aircraft is used. Details of which rate is applicable is available on the government website GOV.UK.  If the UK leaves the EU without a deal imports from the EU will be charged VAT in line with the rules currently applicable to imports from outside the EU. However where the aircraft belong to a person or company established outside the UK they can stay in the UK for at least 6 months using temporary admission. Where the aircraft belongs to a person/company established in the UK the person may be eligible for returned goods relief which allows UK companies and persons to re-import their items into the UK without payment of VAT as long as they fulfil the conditions given in HMRC guidance. References: Notice 301 Customs special procedures for the Union Customs Code Annex C Temporary Admission , end-use relief

Parents: Education

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Government commitment to take a cross-departmental approach to supporting children in the early years, if he will invest in evidence-based parenting support in the forthcoming Spending Review.

Elizabeth Truss: All further decisions on public spending will be taken at the Spending Review this year, when the Chancellor will set out his approach for the future and will ensure that policy issues are considered across departmental boundaries.

Halifax Bank of Scotland: Fraud

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority on potential failures at Lloyds/HBOS to follow the Senior Managers Regime in respect of disclosure of the Turnbull report; and if he will make a statement.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the Bank of England on potential failures at Lloyds/HBOS to follow the Senior Managers Regime in respect of disclosure of the Turnbull report; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: Treasury Ministers meet the UK’s financial services regulators on a regular basis to discuss a range of matters. Investigations into events at HBOS Reading are a matter for the operationally independent Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority.

UK Trade with EU

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of companies that need Economic Operator and Registration Identification numbers have them.

Mel Stride: At present traders who trade with the rest of the world, (but not including the EU) require an EORI number. In the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal UK traders that only trade with the EU will need an EORI number. As part of no deal planning, HMRC is encouraging these EU-only traders to register for an EORI with HMRC. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) estimated that in 2017 there were 144,000 VAT-registered traders that only traded with the EU. A separate estimate indicates there are around 100,000 non VAT-registered traders that trade only with the EU. Latest HMRC validated data show that between 1 December 2018 and 29 March 2019, which covers the period from the start of the business readiness campaign, there were more than 73,000 registrations for an EORI. Registering for an EORI number is free and very quick – it currently takes around 10 minutes.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 Feb 2019 to Question 223803, what the final (a) participation and (b) completion figures for the National Citizenship Service programme were for 2018; and if will publish the (i) original and (ii) revised Government targets for each year since 2011.

Mims Davies: The final participation and completion figures for the National Citizen Service programme in 2018 are undergoing compliance checks and will be published on gov.uk once they are finalised. Government targets have been agreed annually between the sponsoring Government Department and the NCS Trust in line with NCS Trust projections of demand. The table attached shows annual targets and participation ceilings. A maximum participation ceiling was allocated to NCS in the 2015 Spending Review to ensure that no young people were turned away from the programme. This was not a participation target. The ceiling was revised downwards in the 2017 revised Spending Review settlement.



Annual Target Data
(PDF Document, 13.08 KB)

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons Chamber: Repairs and Maintenance

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the studies commissioned from the architects Feilden and Mawson investigating the feasibility of a temporary House of Commons chamber in (a) the courtyard of Richmond House and (b) the courtyard of the Foreign Office are publicly available.

Tom Brake: A pre-feasibility study was produced by Feilden and Mawson in 2015, to support the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster in making a recommendation on the preferred delivery option for the Restoration & Renewal Programme. The study considered several options for decant, including Richmond House and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building.Additional studies of other potential decant options were commissioned by the Joint Committee during the course of its inquiry.These studies contain information about the Houses’ security requirements, as well as other information which may be commercially sensitive, and for that reason they are not publicly available.